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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27267856">Legend of the Heavenly Dragons - Reboot</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingpariah/pseuds/kingpariah'>kingpariah</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tohka_Yatogami/pseuds/Tohka_Yatogami'>Tohka_Yatogami</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Highschool DxD (Anime)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:27:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>31,173</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27267856</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingpariah/pseuds/kingpariah, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tohka_Yatogami/pseuds/Tohka_Yatogami</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>(Main author is Tohka Yatogami, vice author is kingpariah)</p><p>In a world separated by Light and Darkness, with Humanity in the middle, both forces have always been enemies. However, when fate causes two children to cross paths? Their meeting will change not only their worlds, but their destinies as well, and create a new legend. [Issei/Fem!Vali]</p><p>[Cross-posted on fanfiction.net]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Issei/Fem!Vali, Saji Genshirou/Sona Sitri</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am not very good at using the tag system on here just yet, so if you see a tag that needs to be added? Please let me know so I can add it in.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Hey there everyone! Tohka Yatogami here, and as I'm sure most of you already know... it's finally happening!</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>With the skills and courage to do it now in my hand? I'm finally beginning the true and official rewrite for Legend of the Heavenly Dragons, which is going back to the original version's story that many have been asking to see for so long! Before anything else, I'd like to give my thanks to CrimsonPyre for helping me finally take the steps in both my skills and courage that I need to finally do this, as there was always part of me that wanted to redo the original story, and kingpariah for offering to be my co-writer.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>An important announcement I need to make about one thing everyone can expect from this rewrite? As a twist, instead of me adding a race by including Demons as a separate species... this time I'm removing one, and taking the Fallen Angels out of the picture!</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Before anyone panics over that? This doesn't mean anyone who is a Fallen Angel isn't going to appear, just that in this story, they will either appear as an Angel or a Devil to add in a little surprise factor, and because it fits with something from the original I'm extending on. For anyone that's curious to why I'm not going to have the Demons in the rewrite? It's because "When Dawn meets Dusk", which was LOHD until recently, has since made the concept its own.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>The best part about this reboot following the old story is that while I get my momentum for this version going, both versions of the original over on Archive of Our Own will now be fully uploaded! I'll be uploading Chapter 2 before they become public, but the wait for them is now over.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Expect this version of the story to also fix a few issues, some I remember others talking about and ones that came into my own view, though I'll go into them more as they come up. Also, compared to not just the original, but all my DxD stories in general? The power scale will be more balanced and focus on giving a more equal ground for everyone during the battles in the story.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Now, let's not keep this story waiting and get the show on the road!</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>[Chapter 1 - Twilight Beginnings]</strong>
</p><p>Silence.</p><p>That was all that could be heard in the area around them, but not because there wasn't a sound to be made. No, the silence came from something more... something much worse than a lack of noise, for it represented everything breaking down. That there was nothing more to be said as everything was caught between the brightness of white, and the darkness of black.</p><p>Both colors were represented as streaks up in the sky. The former let out slow, yet controlled wisps. This contrasted with the latter, which released fast, yet erratic bursts that somewhat resembled a thunderbolt when someone drew it in a zig-zag design.</p><p>*"BOOM! BOOM!"*</p><p>After clashing with one another for a few minutes, the two forces briefly stopped, with their mere presence and close proximity causing a sound resembling that of thunder to briefly echo across their battlefield.</p><p>
  <em>"Satan, will you truly not listen to reason? It's not too late for us to stop fighting and end this nonsensical war."</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>"There you go, acting as high and mighty as always, while claiming to know what's best for everyone... always refusing to open your eyes! We've already been fighting to this point without stopping! If you don't have the resolve to finish this like I do, then when don't you do me a favor and let me end you!?"</strong>
</p><p>A sigh left the voice tied to the light.</p><p>
  <em>"I guess it was pointless for me to try. Why should I bother arguing with you when you've let your heart truly become one with the horrifying power that's infected you?"</em>
</p><p>The voice of light soon turned serious, letting its power flow.</p><p>
  <em>"But know this... I guided this world without issue long before you came to be, so I have every right to know what's best for everyone! You are the one who refuses to admit your own errors, including how this all came because of the sinful actions you took over choosing to despise what no other being besides yourself stood against!"</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>"How dare you insult me, Yahweh! All of them were brainwashed by their so-called loyalty to you! They cannot tell right from wrong when you don't give them the choice to see the wrong, and now..."</strong>
</p><p>The voice of darkness let its power surge from its body, pushing against the flow of power being released from the light.</p><p>
  <strong>"Now, the time has come for me to give you the justice that you've deserved since the day you betrayed me!"</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>"Then let us finish this."</em>
</p><p>The darkness roared as it began to transform, taking a horrifying shape. When its transformation was over, the darkness known as Satan had taken the form of a large black and red beast with characteristics coming from different animals like a lion, a leopard, a bear, a dragon, etc.</p><p>It had seven necks, seven heads, with ten horns, as well as seven long thick tails of different shapes. It also has four stout arms and two legs that are even thicker than its arms. Its torso resembled that of a primate's, leaning forward and being covered by black fur and red scales all over its body. Its size was well over several hundred meters, making it significantly larger than almost anything that existed.</p><p>The light calling itself Yahweh also changed, but didn't transform as much as arm itself with a powerful weapon and sturdy armor. After fully equipping itself with both, the form of the light had now become that of a Mecha-like machine of the same size, with the look of an Angel in their more eldritch depictions, being white and blue in color.</p><p>It had no feet, and what looked to be a hundred wings attached to a spherical body with a spiked shape, with two of those spikes having shards of distorted light gathering and extending from its tip to eventually take a form resembling that of two arms, albeit they were so thin and skinny that it gave a ghostly and malnourished appearance that, if seen by the weak of heart, would drive them to insanity from the mere pressure of its presence.</p><p><em>"Your end is decided!"<br/></em> <strong>"Your end is here!"</strong></p><p>Both of them let out their full strength, yet not even unleashing their greatest abilities, causing black and white to spiral as the powers of light and darkness clashed as if they were trying to maul one another past the atomic level. Both powers spread and continued to devour their battlefield, with the scene zooming out to reveal itself as a landmass comprised of three continents.</p><p>One that, as of this battle, would be forever scarred, leaving the upper left corner they fought in as the smallest continent.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong> <em>~ July 7th, 2008: Kuoh Town</em> </strong>
</p><p>The sounds of cicadas and birds were heard throughout a small town in Tokyo Prefecture, with the day being welcomed by a clear blue sky and a bright sun. Everyone who was currently outside looked happy and fully enjoying the day.</p><p>In one area of the neighborhood, a small two-story house came into view, and once it came into focus...</p><p>"Uh oh... where's my sleeping bag!?"</p><p>Frantic sounds quickly came from a room in the house, where the sight of a young boy of 5-years could be seen as he flipped his room apart to find the sleeping bag he just mentioned. As he took a moment to rest his burning legs and catch his breath, it was shown he had spiky hair of a chocolate brown color and eyes that were a golden brown.</p><p>"If I don't find it soon, then I won't make it to camp in time!" He panicked.</p><p>He started crying once that thought reached his head, luckily for him, fate chose to intervene at that moment through someone entering his room.</p><p>"Oh Issei, what will I do with you?" A feminine voice playfully sighed.</p><p>That voice made his tears briefly stop as he turned around, seeing someone he was familiar with as they stood at his door.</p><p>It was a young woman, specifically a teenage girl of a high school age. She had long, dark gray hair with matching eyes of a matching color and light skin, who currently wore a dark blue sundress with short sleeves and light green sandals.</p><p>"Cleria... thank goodness you're here, please help me!" The boy known as Issei cried, after running up to hug her leg.</p><p>Cleria sighed as she kneeled down and rubbed Issei's head.</p><p>"There, there. Just tell me what's wrong?" She asked, still rubbing his head.</p><p>"I... I can't find my sleeping bag anywhere, and I can't go to camp without it!" He sniffled.</p><p>"Ah, so that's why you've been crying." Cleria realized.</p><p>She walked to the center of her room and looked around.</p><p>"With how excited you've been for this Summer Camp, having to miss it because of this would be pretty upsetting. Lucky for you, if I remember right, then your sleeping bag is currently..." She continued.</p><p>Issei watched as she knelt by his bed, and reached under to pull out his missing sleeping bag, making his eyes widen.</p><p>"Oh, it's under your bed? How did it get there!?" Cleria asked, giggling after she did.</p><p>"Because... you put it there the other day, knowing that I'd forget where it was." He remembered.</p><p>After saying that, he blushed in embarrassment.</p><p>"Good thing I did, because now you don't have to worry about missing Summer Camp." She reassured him.</p><p>Issei's blush faded as she pat him on the head, making him smile.</p><p>"Now, let's get you over to the Summer Camp, otherwise you'll definitely miss it because we were too busy dilly dallying." Cleria suggested.</p><p>"Yeah, let's go!" Issei agreed, raising his arms up in excitement.</p><p>Cleria smiled and quickly pulled Issei into the air, then placed him on her shoulders and held onto his legs.</p><p>"What form of transport would you like today?" Cleria inquired.</p><p>"I want a horse! Giddy up!" Issei answered.</p><p>"Alright, one horseback ride coming right up!" Cleria cheerfully shouted.</p><p>She mimicked a horse sound before running out of his room and down the stairs, briefly stopping to jog in place near the kitchen, where Issei turned his head.</p><p>"Bye mom! Bye dad! See you in..." Issei shouted.</p><p>He looked at Cleria for a reminder, who giggled in response.</p><p>"Two weeks." She answered.</p><p>"See you in two weeks!" He shouted, waving them goodbye.</p><p>"Go get them Issei!" His father encouraged.</p><p>"Make sure to have fun!" His mother cheered on.</p><p>"OK! Bye!" Issei replied.</p><p>Having said his goodbyes, Cleria resumed her run to the camping grounds, with Issei laughing the whole time. Her run lasted 7 minutes, bringing her from the middle of town to a forest clearing that was within the town's borders.</p><p>
  <strong>[Yuru Camp: Campsite Theme - At the foot]</strong>
</p><p>Once he saw the camping grounds, Issei smiled as he saw a few adults working as chaperones and dozens of kids that were between his age or older by two years, already talking with one another. Cleria soon put Issei onto the ground and kneeled down.</p><p>"Remember Issei, you likely won't get to choose what group you'll get, so make sure you accept whatever they decide." She stated, using a stern and gentle tone.</p><p>"OK!" He nodded.</p><p>"Then let's get you signed up!" Cleria exclaimed, pumping her fists as she got back on her feet.</p><p>She guided Issei to the registration stand.</p><p>"Hello there, are you here for the Summer Camp?" The chaperone asked, smiling at Issei.</p><p>"I am, and I'm ready to have some fun!" Issei answered, barely able to contain his excitement.</p><p>The chaperone giggled as Cleria wrote down all his information.</p><p>"Let's see... Issei Hyoudou, is it? Would you like to be part of the Flower Group, the Leaf Group, or the Sunny Group?" The chaperone inquired.</p><p>"I want the Leaf Group." He chose.</p><p>The chaperone soon grabbed a leaf-shaped badge and placed a name tag onto it.</p><p>"Here you go." They replied, handing it to him.</p><p>Issei placed it on the left strap of his camping bag, then turned around to show Cleria.</p><p>"Ta dah!" He smiled.</p><p>"It's the perfect fit for you." Cleria replied, clapping at the sight.</p><p>She bent down her knees again, rubbing his head as she did.</p><p>"I have to go back now. Remember, the adults here are trying to keep your safe, so make sure to listen to them and ask questions if you aren't sure about what you can or can't do." Cleria reminded him.</p><p>"OK, I promise." Issei replied.</p><p>"Pinkie promise?" She asked, holding out her pinkie.</p><p>"Pinkie promise!" He replied, holding out his pinkie.</p><p>They locked their pinkies together.</p><p>"Good luck Issei, and enjoy your time at camp!" She smiled.</p><p>As she left, a chaperone began leading Issei to his group.</p><p>
  <strong>[Insert Song End]</strong>
</p><p>He had no idea what he'd be doing yet, but despite that he didn't know, and he had yet to do any camp activities? Issei already had a strong feeling that he'd find something special at this camp.</p><hr/><p>Time flew by until the sign-up period ended, and the remaining chaperones came with the materials they still needed.</p><p>By then, the sun had set to reveal the night sky, which was illuminated by a full moon. All of the kids were gathered in their groups, with a campfire already burning and each group's respective chaperones behind them.</p><p>*"WHISTLE!"*</p><p>The sound quickly caught everyone's attention as the head of the Summer Camp walked into view.</p><p>"Hello everyone! I'm Councilor Nakajima, and I welcome you to our Summer Camp." Nakajima greeted.</p><p>Everyone bowed a little in response.</p><p>"Good to meet you, Councilor Nakajima!" The kids greeted.</p><p>She smiled at that, then lightly clapped her hands together.</p><p>"As most of you probably noticed, today was mostly for allowing everyone to sign-up and set things up. So, for our first night? We'll be enjoying S'mores, camp stories, and a few songs around the campfire." Nakajima explained.</p><p>"Is there a limit to how many S'mores we can eat?" A brunette-haired boy with glasses asked, raising his hand.</p><p>"There is, but lucky for all of you, we have enough that everyone can enjoy five. Just make sure not to take any extra marshmallows or chocolate." Nakajima answered.</p><p>Hearing that they would all get five made the kids smile.</p><p>"Now, let's give you all sticks for your marshmallows. That way you can cook your S'mores however you'd like. If you want your chocolate warmed up, please ask a chaperone so they can heat it by one of our lanterns." Nakajima requested.</p><p>Everyone did just that, with Issei quickly getting his marshmallow cooked to a golden brown and having a chaperone get his chocolate to a melted state.</p><p>"Here goes!" He smiled.</p><p>He took a bite, making the marshmallow gush out the sides.</p><p>"Yummy!" Issei said, his voice muffled by the chocolate.</p><p>As he savored the taste of his S'mores, the same boy with glasses and another with his hair in a buzz cut both bit into theirs at the same time. When they did, their faces got covered in both melted chocolate and marshmallow goo.</p><p>Upon realizing the same thing happened to the both of them at the same time, the two boys began laughing at each other, all in good fun.</p><p>"Our faces are a mess!" The kid with the buzz cut laughed.</p><p>"I think you and I will be great friends." The kid in glasses smiled.</p><p>They shook hands.</p><p>"Matsuda Yasuaki." The kid with the buzz cut greeted.</p><p>"Motohama Takurou." The kid with glasses greeted back.</p><p>Likewise, two girls were shown to be roasting their marshmallows by spinning them, quickly noticing the way they were doing it was identical. One of the girls had short pink hair, while the other was a brunette wearing small twin tails.</p><p>"You roast it that way too?" They asked at the same time.</p><p>Both blinked at that before letting out embarrassed chuckles, with the pink-haired girl bowing slightly to be polite.</p><p>"My name's Katase Yui." She greeted.</p><p>"Hi there. My name is Murayama Kaori, it's nice to meet you." The brunette greeted back.</p><p>Issei watched as a lot of the kids were already showing signs of becoming fast friends, and as he was about to join in, he noticed something.</p><p>"Hmm?" He blinked.</p><p>Walking away from the campsite, a kid who was part of the Leaf Group headed towards a tree stump, making him curious to what said kid was doing.</p><p>"Is there something over there?" Issei wondered aloud.</p><p>He then followed them to wherever they were headed.</p><p>The kid in question sat down on the tree stump before they pulled out some binoculars from their camping bag. They began looking at the sky, but before they could make much progress...</p><p>"What are you doing?" Issei asked.</p><p>Hearing that, the kid jumped a little, turning around as they saw Issei.</p><p>Now that he could see their face clearly, Issei realized the kid before them was a girl that looked to be a year older than he was. She had silvery-white hair, which was kind of wavy and reached a little below her shoulders, white skin, and periwinkle eyes.</p><p>"Oh, uh... I just wanted to see the stars. That's all." She replied, answering somewhat quietly due to how suddenly Issei had surprised her.</p><p>"Huh? But can't you do that from the campsite?" He asked.</p><p>"I can, though if you look up at the sky, you'll understand why I came here." The girl explained.</p><p>Issei was confused, and decided to look up, making his eyes widen at how bright they now looked.</p><p>"Wow!" He exclaimed.</p><p>"The light from the campsite makes it harder to see them, so I wanted to step away for a moment. Promise you won't say anything?" She requested.</p><p>"Sure thing! Plus, now that I'm here?" Issei promised.</p><p>He sat on the stump with her, making her scoot over.</p><p>"I wanna stay and see them myself." He admitted.</p><p>The girl smiled at that, and while Issei just watched the stars without a plan, she was looking for something specific. Once she found it, she gasped.</p><p>"There it is! There's Venus!" She shouted happily.</p><p>"Huh? What are you talking about? Venus is a planet, not a star." Issei asked with a confused look.</p><p>"And you're right, but you can actually see the other planets if you know where to look." The girl explained.</p><p>Issei's eyes widened.</p><p>"Can I see!?" He asked.</p><p>"Sure, I'll even guide you to it." She offered, handing him the binoculars.</p><p>Issei looked through them as she guided him, gasping once he saw Venus.</p><p>"That big dot with the orange hue?" He asked.</p><p>"Yeah, that's it. If we had a telescope, you'd be able to see the smaller details." The girl confirmed, smiling as she did.</p><p>"This is... wow. I had no idea you could see the planets among the stars." Issei breathed in awe, pulling the binoculars away.</p><p>He then turned his attention to the girl again, making her look at him.</p><p>"What is it?" She asked.</p><p>"Hope you don't mind me asking, but... was there any special reason behind why you were looking for Venus?" Issei asked.</p><p>She scratched her cheek slightly.</p><p>"This might sound a little silly, but I was hoping that finding it would be a sign of good luck." The girl answered.</p><p>"Good luck? How?" He inquired, understandably confused.</p><p>"Well, the planet Venus can also be called the Morning Star, which means <em>light bringer</em>. That sounded like a form of good luck to me, so... I thought finding it would give me good luck." She explained.</p><p>"OK, but... what do you need good luck for?" Issei inquired.</p><p>After being asked that, Issei saw her lower her head and begin rubbing her left arm, making him worry he said something he shouldn't have.</p><p>"Because... I just moved here." She admitted.</p><p>Issei gasped after hearing that.</p><p>"Does that mean..." Issei realized.</p><p>She soon lowered her head and looked away from him.</p><p>After hearing that, Issei took her hands in his, surprising her a little as she turned to look at him again.</p><p>"Then... starting right now, you and I are friends!" Issei shouted.</p><p>Her eyes widened at those words, thinking she was hearing things.</p><p>"W-What?" She asked.</p><p>"I said that we're friends now, so I don't want to hear you say you don't have any friends here, because you <em>do</em> have one now! And that friend is me!" He exclaimed.</p><p>The girl stared at Issei for a moment, making him worry. That worry grew even more once he saw tears form in her eyes.</p><p>"A-Are you OK? Was it stupid of me to just say we were friends out of nowhere? If it was, then I'm sorry that-" Issei apologized.</p><p>He was cut off by the girl giving him a big hug.</p><p>"Thank you... thank you!" She smiled, crying a little.</p><p>Issei paused for a moment, then smiled as he realized the girl was happy for what he said, prompting him to hug her in return.</p><p>"Your welcome. Also, your hair's really soft. Like a fluffy blanket." He replied.</p><p>She looked at him in surprise and confusion, which made Issei shrug his shoulders.</p><p>"I have no idea why I said that." He admitted.</p><p>After a few seconds, the two suddenly let out a laugh at how random his compliment about her hair had been.</p><p>"Oh yeah! Now that the two of us are friends, we should probably tell each other our names." Issei realized.</p><p>"Could you go first?" The girl requested.</p><p>"Sure thing. My name is Issei Hyoudou, and you?" Issei greeted, holding out his hand.</p><p>"My name's Valiana Himesaki." She nervously greeted back, doing the same with her hand.</p><p>That made Issei blink a little.</p><p>"I'm not sure if I can remember that. Do you mind if I give you a nickname?" Issei asked.</p><p>"Go ahead." She permitted.</p><p>"OK, then I'll call you... Vali!" He smiled.</p><p>"Vali." She repeated, smiling back.</p><p>Accepting her new nickname, they shook each other's hands, cementing their new friendship.</p><hr/><p>Meanwhile, back in Kuoh Town, an old building was seen next to a fancy school. However, the inside was a bit misleading since it looked much fancier and more intact than the outside of the building implied.</p><p>Within what seemed to be a living room, the sight of Cleria sitting at a desk was seen, signing a few documents for some kind of business.</p><p>Her work eventually came to a pause as she noticed a gray magic circle with a crest shaped like multiple chains linked together, getting her attention as a familiar face began to manifest from it.</p><p>It was a man with a graceful face whose hair and eyes matched hers in both colors, wearing an open red jacket with golden lining that showed off his chiseled abs, along with long black pants and a belt with a symbol made from linked chains. He also wore brown boots with black gauntlets of a similar design.</p><p>"Diehauser!" Cleria exclaimed.</p><p>She tossed her pen to the side before running up and hugging her older cousin, who smiled as he hugged her back.</p><p>"What brings you here?" Cleria asked.</p><p>"Thought I'd see how my cousin was doing." Diehauser replied.</p><p>That made Cleria give him a deadpan look, making him flinch.</p><p>"I know you're lying. You never have enough time to come visit someone just because you want to see how they're doing. Now, tell me the real reason you're here." She stated, tapping her foot as she did.</p><p>"Alright, alright. You caught me. There's a document I was asked to give you since this is your territory, as it contains something too risky for it to use any public channels." Diehauser admitted as he pulled out the paper.</p><p>Cleria looked confused as she moved her arm to take it, but Diehauser pulled it away before she could.</p><p>"Hold on. Before that, I'm also here because of your relationship with that Church Exorcist." He added.</p><p>"Seriously? Not you too! I've already said this a hundred times, and I'll say it a hundred more if needed..." Cleria groaned, her normally happy face turning sour.</p><p>Diehauser backed up as Cleria stomped forward a few steps and pointed her finger right at his forehead.</p><p>"I don't care what anyone says! I love Masaomi, and I'm not letting anyone tell me who I can and can't fall in love with because of some stupid ages old stigma our kind has!" She shouted.</p><p>"Calm down, I didn't come here to tell you to break up with him or anything!" Diehauser defended, holding his hands out.</p><p>Cleria blushed in embarrassment as she heard that.</p><p>"Sorry, I'll let you finish talking first." She apologized.</p><p>"Thank you." He replied.</p><p>Taking a moment to clear his throat from the shock of her recent reply, he continued speaking.</p><p>"I just want to make sure you're being careful. While this kind of relationship could help reinforce our current truce, you still need to make sure you take your time and look at everything the two of you are doing, because if things go south..." Diehauser explained.</p><p>Hearing his voice trail off, Cleria began to sweat a little.</p><p>"Well, because you come from the Branch Family, the higher ups won't hesitate to execute the both of you." He revealed.</p><p>Cleria immediately backed up into the wall.</p><p>"They'd be willing to kill me!?" She panicked.</p><p>"In your case? Yes, they would kill you without a second thought, whereas I'd just be blackmailed since I'm currently the Head, but lack an heir. Although, if I had two children-" He answered.</p><p>"Stop! I don't want to hear anymore!" Cleria interrupted, already knowing what he was going to say next.</p><p>She took a moment to hold her chest, needing to catch her breath from the shock of his revelation.</p><p>"Though now you get what I'm warning you of, right?" Diehauser inquired.</p><p>"Yeah, I've gotcha. I'll make sure to watch what I'm doing." She promised.</p><p>He smiled at that.</p><p>"Thank you. Now that I've taken care of that, here's the document I was talking about." Diehauser continued, handing it to her.</p><p>Cleria read it over, and her eyes widened at its contents.</p><p>"Here, really? And I have to watch over them!?" She asked.</p><p>"You and I are close, so she trusts you." Diehauser confirmed.</p><p>A nervous look soon appeared on Cleria's face, and Diehauser couldn't blame her for making it. The revelation on the document was something that had come out of left field.</p><p>"Honestly, I wish she was able to look after them..." Cleria admitted.</p><p>"But you know why she can't. If it wasn't for my own position, and what their daughter doesn't know, then I'd be the ones watching them. She believes she's Human, so we need you to watch over them because you're both in the Human world." Diehauser replied.</p><p>She sighed and nodded her head.</p><p>"Alright then. I don't know how good I'll do my job, but I'll at least try to do it." Cleria promised.</p><p>Diehauser smiled as he heard that.</p><p>"That's all we ask for." He replied.</p><p>Right as he was about to leave, Cleria managed to remember something important.</p><p>"Oh! Before you go, I heard an interesting rumor a while back, and it's something you'll want to hear because it's connected to the Rating Games." Cleria stated.</p><p>That caught Diehauser's attention.</p><p>"What kind of rumor?" He asked.</p><p>"Have you ever heard of the <em>King Pieces</em>?" She asked.</p><p>Diehauser's eyes widened after hearing those words.</p><p>"I'm sorry, but did you just say... King Pieces?" Diehauser questioned, thinking he misheard her.</p><p>"Yeah, like an actual Evil Piece based on the King in Chess, but even better." Cleria confirmed.</p><p>He turned around and gave a look that told her to continue.</p><p>"Apparently, it's a discontinued Evil Piece that was used at the beginning of the Rating Game era. It had a stronger boost than that of a Queen Piece, though it may have just been for one's natural demonic power, that was too erratic. Some people could get ten times the boost, but others up to hundred, maybe even more. Ajuka ended up having to destroy them all." Cleria explained.</p><p>After saying that, Diehauser did something that Cleria would never have expected him to do after hearing that, or in general.</p><p>Laugh as if she had just told him a joke.</p><p>"Cleria, I know you love talking about gossip, but do you really believe a story like that?" Diehauser replied.</p><p>"I thought it sounded fake myself, but I think I've managed to find proof about the theory that Ajuka made the Rating Game here in Japan, as in I may have found the very location he did it! I'm planning to go search and prove this is true." She said, clear excitement on her face.</p><p>Diehauser's eyes widened at that.</p><p>"No, absolutely not! Don't bother with anything related to the Maou for any reason." He shouted, a clear warning in his voice.</p><p>"But-" Cleria replied.</p><p>"Remember what we just talked about? If this is true, consider that the real truth could be those pieces were so dangerous that they had to have all knowledge of their existence wiped out." Diehauser added.</p><p>She sighed, realizing she had no retort for that, and simply closed her eyes before nodding her head.</p><p>"So, do you promise me that, no matter what, you won't approach that place?" Diehauser inquired.</p><p>"I do... I won't go near it." Cleria promised.</p><p>Realizing he understood, he let out a relieved breath and softened his expression.</p><p>"Thank you. Now, I better get home, so I'll see you next time I'm able to." He smiled.</p><p>"OK, see ya." Cleria replied, waving goodbye.</p><p>Diehauser waved back before disappearing through a magic circle, and once she did... a mischievous smirk formed on Cleria's face.</p><p>"We didn't pinkie promise." She whispered to herself.</p><p>Sitting herself back at her desk, Cleria quickly glanced at a paper detailing a certain location before putting it back where it was.</p><p>A paper that contained the image for a King Piece in Chess.</p><hr/><p>The two weeks at Summer Camp passed by in a flash, and before any of the children realized it, their time at camp had come to an end.</p><p>As they were packing their stuff up, Issei and Vali could be seen talking to each other.</p><p>"While we weren't here for very long? I'm glad that I came to this Summer Camp." Vali smiled.</p><p>"Me too." Issei agreed.</p><p>Through the two weeks they spent together, Issei and Vali had quickly become the best of friends, with their friendship having helped the latter become comfortable enough to accept Kuoh Town as her new home.</p><p>"Especially since you and I both live here, so we can see each other whenever we'd like!" Issei continued, raising his hands out.</p><p>Vali giggled at that.</p><p>"Somehow, I knew you'd say that." She remarked.</p><p>"It was that obvious?" Issei said, faking surprise.</p><p>Both of them laughed.</p><p>"Although, now the question is... how do I find out where you live?" Issei wondered aloud.</p><p>"That's easy. I'll just ask around, and hopefully find where you live." Vali answered.</p><p>"Because once you find where I live, you can bring me to your house, and then we'll both know where to find each other!" He realized.</p><p>She nodded, holding out her pinkie.</p><p>"Promise that we'll find each other?" Vali asked.</p><p>"Promise that we'll find each other!" Issei replied.</p><p>They locked their pinkies together, forming their promise as a familiar face arrived.</p><p>"Issei!" Cleria called out.</p><p>Hearing his babysitter's voice, Issei turned around to see her, and then waved.</p><p>"Be there in a second!" He replied.</p><p>Looking at Vali one last time, they gave each other a hug.</p><p>"See you soon." Issei smiled.</p><p>"Same here." Vali smiled back.</p><p>Once they let go, Issei ran over to Cleria, who lifted him into the air and spun him around.</p><p>"Hey there sport, did you have fun at camp?" She asked him with a big smile on her face.</p><p>"Yeah, I even made a friend!" He confirmed.</p><p>"The girl you just hugged goodbye, right?" Cleria assumed, taking a moment to look at her.</p><p>He nodded and hummed his answer.</p><p>"Unfortunately, I have to wait a bit to see her because we don't know how to find each other's houses." Issei mentioned, sighing a little.</p><p>Cleria raised an eye at that.</p><p>"And why are you unable to find each other's houses?" Cleria inquired.</p><p>"I don't know how to find my house by myself." Issei answered.</p><p>"You mean the same house that <em>I</em> know how to find and often take you to and from on a near daily basis?" She mentioned, playfully smiling as she did.</p><p>Those words made Issei blink a few times, then turn red in embarrassment.</p><p>"Oh... then could you tell her for me?" He requested, too embarrassed to look at her.</p><p>"Sure thing. Besides, unlike when I dropped you off, I'm here to bring you and another kid home, so I need to find them first." Cleria answered, smiling at him.</p><p>"Really?" Issei asked.</p><p>"Yeah, a girl by the name of Valiana Himesaki." She confirmed.</p><p>He gasped at that.</p><p>"That's my new friend's name!" Issei revealed.</p><p>Hearing that surprised Cleria, making her look at Vali again, causing her own embarrassed blush to form on her face.</p><p>'I really should have realized it was her after seeing her hair.' She thought, doing her best to hold a poker face.</p><p>Cleria placed Issei on the ground, then walked towards Vali.</p><p>"Excuse me."</p><p>Vali soon turned towards her, seeing Issei standing beside her.</p><p>"Yes?" She asked.</p><p>"Is your name Valiana Himesaki by chance?" Cleria inquired.</p><p>"Yes, why do you ask?" Vali inquired.</p><p>"My name's Cleria Bella, and I'm your cousin. Your father's my uncle." She greeted.</p><p>That surprised her and Issei.</p><p>"R-Really!?" Vali asked.</p><p>"Really, and he's asked me to come pick you up, which I think will help you and Issei find out where the other lives." Cleria confirmed, winking at the end.</p><p>She smiled and let out an excited gasp at that moment.</p><hr/><p>Around 15 minutes after she picked Issei and Vali up, Cleria brought the duo to Issei's house.</p><p>"This is where I live." Issei said.</p><p>Vali took a good look at the two-story house with white walls, a red roof, and a balcony connected to one of the second story rooms.</p><p>"That's my room." He added, pointing at the balcony.</p><p>"Wow, my house looks a lot like this one." Vali replied.</p><p>That surprised Issei.</p><p>"Really?" He asked.</p><p>Cleria let out a slight giggle, which confused the two.</p><p>"Houses in such neighborhoods often do." She mentioned.</p><p>"Really?" They both asked.</p><p>"Really, it makes it easier to manage the space if anyone has to fix, remove, and/or expand on them." Cleria confirmed.</p><p>She then brought the two to Vali's house, and to the surprise of the new best friends, she lived only 3 minutes away.</p><p>"No way, we're neighbors!" Vali realized.</p><p>"Huh? But I thought neighbors had to live next to you?" Issei asked in confusion.</p><p>"Anyone within a 5-minute walking distance can count as a neighbor." Cleria replied.</p><p>"Oh, OK." He replied.</p><p>Vali soon turned to the two and bowed her head in gratitude.</p><p>"Thanks for walking me home. I'll see you soon!" She smiled.</p><p>She walked to her door, where a woman with blonde hair and periwinkle eyes like her own opened the door, which Issei assumed was her mother.</p><p>"Come on sport, let's get you home before we're so late that your parents decide to call the police." Cleria joked.</p><p>"That could happen!?" Issei asked worriedly.</p><p>"I'm kidding. We'd need to be gone for at least an hour before they considered doing that." She replied.</p><p>Issei smiled in relief as put him on her shoulders.</p><p>"All aboard the Cleria Express!" She announced.</p><p>Issei cheered as she jogged towards his house, briefly glancing at Vali's house as he began to imagine what they'd do tomorrow.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong> <em>~ November 20th, 2014: Kuoh Town</em> </strong>
</p><p>A few years went by until it was six years since Issei and Vali first met, and their friendship only grew stronger during this time. Not only had their bond grown since then, but so had they.</p><p>For Issei, he was already showing signs of becoming a handsome young man. Unfortunately, over the years, the effects of puberty ended up turning him into a pervert, which lead to him developing a fetish for big breasts. Luckily, due to Vali being a girl and his best friend, that perverted side of him had managed to be controlled, or he internalized it at the very least, due to both of them feeling awkward around that time.</p><p>Cleria would always tease him over this.</p><p>As for Vali, she had already developing a few signs of becoming a beautiful young lady, due to hitting puberty earlier. Although it left her embarrassed at first, while Issei's newly developing perverseness had been at its worst? She had grown amazingly huge breasts for her age, and with how the rest of her figure was developing, had already begun to catch the eye of a few boys (except Issei) who were starting to see girls differently.</p><p>"So, how was school today?"</p><p>The scene opened to Vali's house, where she and her parents were having dinner.</p><p>She was in her school uniform and her mother was wearing the usual housewife attire. As for her father, who had hair in the shape similar to Issei's, he had the same silvery-white hair as she did, golden eyes, and was wearing common business clothes.</p><p>"The same as always." Vali answered.</p><p>"Of course it was." Her father chuckled.</p><p>After doing so, Vali's mother nudged her elbow onto his side, getting his attention.</p><p>"Come on sweetie, I think it's time we tell her the good news." She suggested.</p><p>That caught Vali's attention.</p><p>"What good news?" She asked.</p><p>"Well, I've been doing so well at work, that after so long... I can now say with full confidence we won't have to move again!" He announced.</p><p>"Huh?" She blinked in confusion.</p><p>Vali's mother decided to take over, putting a hand on her daughter's shoulder.</p><p>"Remember what we said to you before we moved here? Well, ever since then, your father has been working hard to make this our official home. After a lot of work on his end, he was finally able to make it happen!" Her mother explained.</p><p>"So, we were at risk of moving all this time, and I never even knew?" Vali asked, a horrified look on her face.</p><p>"I'm sorry about that sweetie, but it's why your father worked so hard to prevent it." Her mother apologized.</p><p>"I knew you wanted to stay with Issei, and used that as motivation to make that a reality. Now it is, and I can say, without a doubt, that nothing will ever separate the two of you." Her father smiled, placing his hand on Vali's other shoulder.</p><p>It took a moment for it to sink in, but after hearing everything her parents had said... tears of joy filled Vali's eyes as she covered her mouth.</p><p>"Mom... dad... thank you!" Vali said, feeling the tears flow out.</p><p>Both her parents smiled at how happy their daughter looked.</p><p>
  <strong>[Sonic the Hedgehog: Solaris Phase 1]</strong>
</p><p>Unfortunately, that joy was short lived as her parents looked at the ceiling, letting out horrified gasps as they saw a magic circle had appeared. It didn't take long before Vali noticed it as well.</p><p>"Mom? Dad?" She asked, having no idea what was going on.</p><p>"Sarah! Vali! Get behind me!" Her father warned, glaring at it.</p><p>"Razevan, be careful." Sarah begged.</p><p>Vali could only watch as all the lights in the house exploded, making her scream briefly as a figure hidden by the darkness that now enveloped the house descended from the ceiling through the magic circle.</p><p>"I commend you from managing to hide from us for so long. Unfortunately, I'm afraid your game of hide and seek won't work anymore." The shadowed figure stated.</p><p>Razevan growled before holding his hands out, doing something that Vali couldn't see, but knew wasn't normal because of the brief flash that resulted from it. Unfortunately, it didn't work, and then...</p><p>*"SLASH!"*</p><p>*"SHRIEK!"*</p><p>Vali let out a horrified scream, with her mother holding her close and staring at what they saw.</p><p>Her father was lying on his back, grunting in pain as he laid in a pool made from his own blood.</p><p>"Game, set, and match."</p><p>The unknown figure charged a big flash, and before she could process it, Vali heard her father's screams as his silhouette was swallowed by the blinding light.</p><p>"Dad!" She screamed.</p><p>"Get away from my daughter, you bastard!" Sarah shouted.</p><p>She formed magic circles like the one the figure came in from, unleashing various things Vali was too traumatized to focus on.</p><p>"Vali, get out of here, now!" Sarah screamed.</p><p>"No, I can't leave you!" She refused, shaking her head.</p><p>The shadowed figured laughed before throwing out their right hand, and before Sarah could even react, she let out a hoarse shriek as her body suddenly turned gray and broke apart like stone. Almost as if it had rotted away.</p><p>Vali's eyes went blank, struggling to process everything.</p><p>"Now, it's time for you to come with me." The shadowed figured stated, giving a sinister chuckle as he reached for her.</p><p>However, before he could? Something struck him in the face, creating a huge flash that shocked Vali so much, she fainted.</p><p>
  <strong>[Insert Song End]</strong>
</p><p>The last thing she heard before blacking out was a man's screams.</p><hr/><p>After an unknown amount of time passed, Vali felt her senses return, struggling to open her eyes.</p><p>"Oh, thank goodness, you're OK!"</p><p>Recognizing that voice, Vali managed to open her eyes, seeing Cleria smile at her with tears in her eyes. Once they were fully open, Vali felt Cleria hug her tightly.</p><p>"I almost thought you'd never wake up!" Cleria cried with shaky arms.</p><p>"C-Cleria? Is... is that really you?" Vali asked, struggling to stand up.</p><p>She pulled away from the hug and nodded her head, unable to say anything. It was a few seconds after that when Vali recalled what happened to her parents.</p><p>"Please, tell me where my mom and dad are? Tell me that I was just having a bad dream..." She begged.</p><p>Cleria went silent after hearing that.</p><p>"No, it wasn't a dream... and you were completely sane during all of it. <em>Everything</em> you saw was real." Cleria answered.</p><p>Those words made Vali's eyes shake in horror.</p><p>"And now it's time that I tell you the truth." She continued, closing her eyes in partial shame.</p><p>"Huh?" Vali blinked.</p><p>Taking a few steps back, a pair of black wings resembling that of a bat's if they lacked their membranes, like most kid-level drawings of the nocturnal creature, unfolded from her back.</p><p>"W-What are those!?" She questioned.</p><p>"The truth is... I'm not your cousin, or related to you in any manner. My real name is Cleria Belial, and I'm a Devil." Cleria revealed.</p><p>"A... devil?" Vali said in disbelief.</p><p>However, the shock quickly faded when she recalled the things that shadowed figure had done, and that Cleria must know why her parents were killed.</p><p>"Wait, who broke into my house? Why did they kill my mom and dad? What are my parents, and... what am I?" She asked all at once.</p><p>"I don't know who attacked you specifically, other than they were part of a group that was after you, because despite what you've thought all of your life? You and your father aren't Human, or rather... not completely." Cleria explained.</p><p>"We aren't? Then what am I? Was that why that person attacked us?" Vali asked, partially in disbelief.</p><p>"It was, because the truth is... as of your father's death, you are the only living descendant of Lucifer, the Devil King." Cleria revealed.</p><p>Vali's eyes widened at that.</p><p>"Then, that means I'm..." She realized, briefly glancing at her back.</p><p>"Yes, your true name is Valiana Lucifer, and I was asked to protect your family by orders of his wife, Lilith, because she was unable to bring you into her protection." Cleria confirmed.</p><p>"What do you mean?" Vali asked in confusion.</p><p>"Because of some trouble back at home, it was deemed safer for your family to live here on Earth, and I was watching over you to make sure you were safe. I was doing my job well the last six years... until the other day." She explained.</p><p>Those words made Vali's eyes widen, and Cleria closed hers as she looked away slightly.</p><p>"You see, my cousin told me not to stick my nose into something I learned about six years ago, and I did. At first that wasn't a problem by itself, but then I dug too deep and got the attention of the wrong people. In doing so, not only were myself and the man I love put on a hit list, but... I caused your family to be found. Your father had no idea." She confessed.</p><p>Hearing that, Vali's mouth opened, and then she felt a strong surge of anger as she realized that Cleria's actions had killed her parents.</p><p>"This... the reason for all of this... was because of you?" She said, despite it sounding like a question.</p><p>She ran forward and pushed Cleria to the ground, staring at her with complete fury as tears continued to fall from her eyes.</p><p>"My father said I could finally stay! But because of you, my parents are gone!"</p><p>Cleria's face tightened at that.</p><p>"How could you be stupid to-"</p><p>"You don't have to tell me! I know that this is all my fault! I lost someone just as precious to me because I stuck my nose where I shouldn't have!" Cleria screamed.</p><p>Those words caused Vali to stop, her anger vanishing from her face.</p><p>"Before this, I was already swimming in dangerous waters, and my cousin always told me that I was naive and that I should consider everything I do. He made me promise not to look into the very thing that caused all of this to happen, but I didn't listen because I used how we didn't make a pinkie promise as a loophole, and..." She continued.</p><p>She covered her eyes, starting to cry.</p><p>"And because of that? The man I love gave up his life, just so we could rescue you!" Cleria revealed.</p><p>Vali's gasped as she recalled the last thing she heard before blacking out, and covered her mouth.</p><p>That masculine scream had been his.</p><p>"I'm... I'm sorry." Vali apologized, now regretting her small burst of anger.</p><p>She helped Cleria to her feet, who wiped her tears and shook her head.</p><p>"No, don't be. This <em>is</em> all my fault." She replied.</p><p>Cleria took a deep breath before grabbing Vali's shoulders and looking her in the eyes, making Vali see hers had become completely serious.</p><p>"Anyways, you're still in great danger. We have to run away before it's too late! I'm afraid we have no other choice but to leave this town, and more than likely... we can never come back." Cleria revealed.</p><p>Vali's eyes widened, realizing that her father's news no longer mattered, and worst of all...</p><p>She would be separated from Issei.</p><p>"I can only give you enough time to say goodbye to Issei, but don't tell him the truth. We can't risk him knowing and being killed like your parents were." Cleria continued.</p><p>Despite how much it hurt, Vali nodded her head as she silently cried, feeling Cleria hug her.</p><p>"Please, forgive me for all of this. I'll spend the rest of my life, no matter how long or short, making sure they don't capture you." She apologized.</p><p>"I'm scared..." Vali admitted.</p><p>"So am I, but no matter what, we'll find a way through this." Cleria promised her.</p><p>One last whimper left Vali's throat before she hugged her back.</p><hr/><p>Issei was in his room, scratching his head before finally slamming it onto his desk as he faced his mortal enemy.</p><p>Homework.</p><p>"My god! Something, anything... please give me a distraction!" He begged.</p><p>"Issei, are you home!?" Vali shouted.</p><p>His eyes widened, shocked that wish had actually come true, and opened up his window. Unfortunately, the happy face he expected from Vali... was the one thing he didn't see.</p><p>"Issei, can you come down for a moment? I... need to tell you something important." Vali quietly asked.</p><p>'Oh boy... that alone raises a red flag.' Issei realized.</p><p>It barely took even a minute for Issei to close the window, rush downstairs, and then meet Vali in his front yard. Once he saw her up close, his eyes widened as he saw the clear signs that she had been crying, making him nervous.</p><p>"What's wrong?" Issei asked.</p><p>For a moment, Vali tried to speak, but struggled to get the words out. Tears fell out of her eyes as they did, and only served to make Issei increasingly worried for every second of silence that followed.</p><p>"Issei, I... I have to move away because of my father's job!" She lied.</p><p>His eyes widened as he froze up, hearing glass shattering in his head.</p><p>
  <strong>[My Hero Academia: Nighteye's Farewell]</strong>
</p><p>Vali saw his body shake, followed by him starting to hyperventilate, and quickly grabbed his shoulders.</p><p>"Issei? Issei, are you OK?" She questioned.</p><p>He soon blinked as he held his chest, starting to breathe normally again.</p><p>"Y-You're moving away? But why!?" He questioned.</p><p>Vali sniffled in response, then closed her eyes.</p><p>"Believe me, I don't wanna leave... and even my parents tried to stop this, but we couldn't do it. My dad just can't afford to quit his job and find another one here." She replied as the tears began to cascade down her face.</p><p>Seeing her tears, it became clear to Issei that nothing could be done, and it was breaking her as much as this news was hurting him.</p><p>"I just... had to say goodbye. I don't want to have any regrets." She continued.</p><p>He sniffled as he nodded his head, feeling it was the only good news he would get.</p><p>"If that's the case? Then take this." Issei begged.</p><p>Vali looked at Issei as he reached into his pocket, taking out a pair of necklaces, which were simply black string tied around a metal charm. One was a circle with an outline and a dot in the center, and the other was a crescent moon.</p><p>They were the astronomical symbols used for the Sun and Moon, which Issei said represented himself and Vali respectively.</p><p>"I... wanted to give you this on Christmas as a symbol of our friendship. However, if you're not going to be here, then... I want you to have it now. That way, no matter how far apart we are or where we end up? The two of us will always be friends, because we share the same sky." Issei said softly.</p><p>"Just like the sun and moon." Vali continued, feeling new tears form.</p><p>The two of them tightly hugged each other, letting their cries go silent.</p><p>Once they broke off their hug, Issei put the moon necklace on her, and Vali gave it a look before giving him one last smile. As a result, there was one thing she <em>had</em> to say before she had to go, before she lost this chance forever.</p><p>"Issei, there's something you need to know. When you offered to be my friend, the reason why I was so happy? The reason that I cried? It was because..."</p><p>She nearly choked at that moment from her own tears.</p><p>"Because you were the first friend I ever had!" She admitted.</p><p>His eyes widened at that.</p><p>"Before we came to Kuoh Town, my dad's job took him all across Japan, so we never settled down somewhere for long. As a result, I never had anywhere that I could call my home until I came here." Vali continued, feeling more tears cascade down her face.</p><p>"Vali..." Issei said, starting to tremble.</p><p>He held out his pinkie, with his hand shaking every second he held it out, before looking giving Vali a begging look.</p><p>"One last pinkie promise, OK?" He requested.</p><p>"Alright, but what kind of promise?" She asked.</p><p>"Promise me that, one day, we'll see each other again?" Issei begged.</p><p>Those words made her eyes widen.</p><p>'We may never see each other again... that's what Cleria told me.' Vali thought.</p><p>Despite that, she still held out her pinkie.</p><p>"I promise, no matter how long it takes, that one day... I'll see you again." She promised.</p><p>Their pinkies locked around each other.</p><p>After they let go, she took a few steps back, and then give him one last look.</p><p>"Goodbye Issei, and... thank you, for everything!" She sniffled, her voice cracking.</p><p>With those words, she ran off before she could completely breakdown in front of Issei. As he watched her leave, and continued to do so until she was completely out of view, Issei's fists tightened before he ran off.</p><p>He said nothing as he kept running, barely holding back most of his tears. Eventually, he made it to the forest where he and Vali first met during their Summer Camp, until he found the stump where he first spoke to her.</p><p>"Vali..." He said with a shaky voice, taking a deep breath after he did.</p><p>On that fateful day, everyone heard Issei release a loud scream of anguish from the forest, and it wouldn't be until the week afterwards that everyone learned what happened.</p><p>
  <strong>[Insert Song End]</strong>
</p><p>Because that was the day... he lost his smile.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong> <em>~ December 25th, 2017: Kuoh Town</em> </strong>
</p><p>Silence filled the building that was once owned by Cleria Belial, only for it to suddenly be broken as the door opened for the first time in 3 years.</p><p>The one who opened the door was revealed to be a middle-aged looking man with black hair and peaceful violet eyes, who was wearing an expensive looking suit, and exuded a strong aura of dignity.</p><p>Standing at his side was a tall, beautiful young woman with white skin, blue eyes, a buxom figure, and had long, beautiful, thigh-length crimson hair that was considered her most distinctive feature. Said hair also had a single strand sticking out from the top, loose bangs covering her forehead, and side bangs framing her face. She was wearing a white button-down shirt with long sleeves, with a black ribbon on her shirt collar worn under a black shoulder cape and a matching button-down corset, a magenta skirt with white accents, and brown dress shoes over white crew-length socks.</p><p>Her outfit was none other than the female uniform for the High School division of Kuoh Academy, which she was set to start attending in April.</p><p>"Now that you've been the acting Head of Kuoh Town for half a year, I've decided to give you, as both a reward <em>and</em> my Christmas present to you..." The man replied, looking at the redhead to emphasize the latter part.</p><p>In response, the redheaded girl simply rolled her eyes and let out an expected sigh.</p><p>"The former base of your predecessor, the old school building, as your own." He finished.</p><p>"Well, at the very least, this place looks quite nice despite what the outside implies. Although, won't it seem strange for me to start regularly coming here?" She inquired, after looking around for a moment.</p><p>"Not to worry Rias, your father has taken care of that by having the current student Council President make this into a new club, which we've named the Occult Research Club as a safety measure. That way, if someone does come inside at a bad time? You can pass it off as an occult trick or research." The man explained.</p><p>"That's actually pretty clever. After all, this building's outside already looks like something related to the occult." Rias replied, assuming that they had noticed that as well.</p><p>The man chuckled at that, walking her over to Cleria's old desk.</p><p>"Now, see this desk here? While you're free to use it however you like, that left drawer was used a lot by Cleria, so don't open it." He stated.</p><p>He winked his left eye at Rias, which made her raise an eye.</p><p>"We want to respect her legacy, so you really shouldn't open up that drawer to see what's inside." He continued.</p><p>He winked his left eye again, making Rias notice a pattern.</p><p>'What are you trying to tell me?' She wondered, unable to figure out what his message was.</p><p>"It isn't going to look good if you really <em>dug</em> into the secrets she may have hid there, considering what led to you replacing her in the first place." He finished, chuckling a bit.</p><p>This time he winked his right eye, which made Rias' widen.</p><p>"Now, if you'll excuse me? I need to go back home and deal with a small situation." The man stated.</p><p>He gave Rias a slight bow before disappearing through a magic circle.</p><p>Once he was gone, Rias looked left and right to make sure no one was watching her, and then opened up the left drawer, where she found a sealed letter.</p><p>"This is..." She gasped.</p><p>It was a letter from Cleria, addressed to her potential successor, along with a broken Queen piece.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>And that's all, for now.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Right from the start, I've made the tone for this story's beginning a little more bittersweet than before, as Issei and Vali's separation happens because of something beyond her control, rather than her own choice. This helps set up Rias to be more involved than she was during the first arc, as after reading it again, I realized she was kind of just... there for the earlier chapters, where she gets dragged into everything.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>This time, her role in the beginning, and her eventual friendship with Issei and Vali, is going to be formed through her own actions. That way, it doesn't feel like she became their friend out of nowhere.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>I'm also working to set up a stronger connection to all the events in the story, as while it did exist before, there were a few blind spots and times where I felt thing could have been better built up. This is a big reason behind why Cleria has a bigger role than she did before. As for her relationship with Issei? She was nothing more than his baby sister, so don't look much deeper into that. Another thing is that this time, I'm going to make both Issei and Vali have equal importance to the story, as Vali had unintentionally taken the spotlight at a certain point.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>While the initial tone for this first chapter was different, I can assure you it won't stay this way for the whole story. I just felt that starting this way helps give better momentum to everything that will follow in the same way V1's events took a while to go from somewhat depressing to lighter, which I think will help this story's original message show better than before. Sometimes, to get a better look at hope, things need to look hopeless.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Here we are with Chapter 2, and I'm glad that the first chapter had such a positive reaction, even if it was partially due to it being a rewrite.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>As a reward? I've decided to give all of you not a single update, but a double update special!</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Before we go any further? One thing I need to mention is the way I'm doing my ANs from now on has changed, as you may have already noticed if you're familiar with my other stories. I changed it due to feeling my old style for them was too much like rambling and killed a lot of the immersion for my stories by talking about things in a way that removed the chance for people to find out things for themselves. As such, they'll be short unless it's to either clarify a question that multiple people ask me, answer a guest review, or if there's something really important for me to bring up.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>With that now said, here's a few things more specific to this story itself.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>For everyone who has asked me questions so far? All of them are about something tied to a future reveal or something I can't fully guarantee will be in the story, especially the one about if Satan is Trihexa, so I can't answer any of them. With how early we are into the story, there's a lot I can at best only give you all partial answers to.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>I'm glad that everyone liked the changes I applied to the original chapter, as that's already a great confidence booster that I've been needing as of lately. I won't say why just yet, as I'm not ready to talk about it, but just know I really appreciate the support.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>One other thing that I'd like to say in response to the first chapter is how the scope of the potential changes will be. They can be as big as how I altered the way Issei and Vali met each other, as small as how I altered the way they say goodbye, or anywhere in-between the two areas.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>The story will definitely following the original to the point that I'll be using a lot from the original 90 chapters, but the main goal that me and kingpariah have is to succeed where I failed with the original, which is to use the events of V14 and beyond. That means there's a lot of new additions, some minor changes from canon, and even new scenes to read.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>With all of that out of the way, let's get this chapter started!</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>[Chapter 2 - Memory of the Moon]</strong>
</p><p>The sound of running could be heard until it slowly became mere footsteps, which were revealed to be Vali's as she soon came to a complete stop.</p><p>"Issei..." she sniffled.</p><p>Hearing her crying, Cleria walked out of the nearby alley she had been hiding in and gave her a hug.</p><p>"I know it was hard, but you did the right thing. Now Issei won't be in danger." Cleria reassures her.</p><p>"T-That doesn't... make it hurt any less!" Vali cried.</p><p>Cleria said nothing and just rubbed her back, as she knew that same pain from when she had to ask Masaomi to stop the assassin, since he had no chance of winning against someone who killed Razevan with little effort.</p><p>She let Vali have another minute, respecting that feeling before time was forced to intervene.</p><p>"Time to go. If we wait any longer, another assassin could show up and attack us." She stated.</p><p>Vali sniffled one last time before wiping her tears and nodding, taking Cleria's hand as she led them into the alley and pulled out a paper talisman with the symbol of a vermilion bird on it.</p><p>"A talisman?" Vali asked, looking confused as she saw it.</p><p>"When we get to our destination, I'll have to tell you everything about the supernatural. The most I can say for now is there's more than Angels and Devils in this world." Cleria briefly explained.</p><p>She placed the talisman on the wall, causing it to become a portal to their destination.</p><p>"Small heads up? To avoid motion sickness, I'd close your eyes." Cleria recommended.</p><p>Vali did just that, and they walked through the portal.</p><hr/><p>A field covered in a veil of shadow came into view, hiding the silhouette of someone as the assassin that killed Vali's parents appeared from a magic circle.</p><p>"So, how did it go?" The silhouetted figure inquired.</p><p>"I apologize, but I was only able to complete half of my mission." The assassin admitted.</p><p>This caught the silhouetted figure's attention, with their unseen face raising its right eye.</p><p>"Shortly after my arrival, I managed to kill the father of their descendants with little trouble, and quickly eliminated his Human wife when she attempted to fight back. Though right as I was about to kill their daughter as well..."</p><p>At that moment, the silhouetted figure noticed the assassin grit their teeth.</p><p>"Cleria managed to react faster than I did. She sent her little dog of a boyfriend to intervene, and managed to pull her away at the last second!" They revealed.</p><p>"How unfortunate. It seems we underestimated her once again, and so quickly after we were caught off-guard by her snooping." The silhouetted figure sighed.</p><p>They stood up and turned around.</p><p>"What happened with that exorcist she loves? Did you take care of him?" The figure inquired.</p><p>"Yes, I was successful there. Not only that, but based on how the daughter was rescued, it seems like Cleria knew he would be killed if he fought against me. Hopefully, that's a sign that we still have the upper hand." The assassin answered.</p><p>"Good, then find out where they went, and finally erase the last of the Maou bloodlines. Once you do..." The figure smirked.</p><p>They opened their mouth and showed their shark-like teeth.</p><p>"Neither Lilith, Lucifer, or anyone allied to them will be capable of stopping what we've already set into motion!" They announced.</p><p>Upon hearing those words, the assassin's mouth moved until it became an equally wicked smirk.</p><hr/><p>After what felt like a minute since entering the portal, Vali opened her eyes as she felt her feet touch the ground, allowing her to see an alley way with a more sand-like color than the one she and Cleria were just in.</p><p>"OK, it looks like we had no problems with our arrival, but before we walk into public..." Cleria stated.</p><p>She held out her hand, making Vali scream as she saw a floating eye appear from a magic square.</p><p>"What is that thing!?" Vali questioned.</p><p>"Relax, this is just one of the many Evil Eyes that act as my Familiars." Cleria reassured her, lightly rubbing one of its wings.</p><p>Hearing its name, Vali pointed at it and raised an eye.</p><p>"No, it's not actually evil, and don't ask me why it has the word as part of its name. I can't answer that." Cleria continued.</p><p>Vali put her put her finger down as her eye relaxed, right as Cleria closed her eyes and tapped the Evil Eye's gigantic pupil.</p><p>It flew up to the corner of the alley, allowing Cleria to see through it.</p><p>"Hmm... it looks clear to me, but just to be safe, let's use your aura sight." She suggested.</p><p>Its pupil glowed, trying to sense for anyone who could use magic, but failed to find anyone.</p><p>"Looks like we're good." She smiled.</p><p>Releasing the connection, her Familiar flew towards the duo as she opened her eyes, gaining another wing rub as its reward. The Evil Eye closed its eyes in a way that Vali assumed was its equivalent to a happy face.</p><p>"Thanks for the help, I'll see you and the others when I need you again." Cleria praised.</p><p>Once her familiar disappeared in a puff of smoke, Cleria turned around to look at Vali.</p><p>"Now that we've taken care of that, how about you take a look at where we are?" She suggested, motioning behind them with her thumb.</p><p>Vali did just that, and saw a beach, the ocean, and a bunch of tropical elements. However, she noticed something else that was strange.</p><p>The sun looked like it was higher.</p><p>"Is the sun... rising?" She asked.</p><p>"That's right. When the sun is setting in Japan, it's rising on the other side of the world." Cleria confirmed.</p><p>Hearing that caused Vali's eyes to widen as she looked at her.</p><p>"As in... we're in the Western Hemisphere!?" Vali questioned.</p><p>"Right you are, specifically Florida in the USA if you're curious." Cleria answered, putting on sunglasses.</p><p>A thud could be heard as Vali fell on her butt, feeling her mind struggle to process what she just learned.</p><p>'Saw that one coming.' Cleria sighed.</p><p>Cleria then pulled Vali onto her feet.</p><p>"Let's go, we need to meet the others before they assume we got caught." She stated.</p><p>"Others?" Vali repeated.</p><p>"That will be part of what I'll be telling you about once we get there." She promised.</p><p>Before Vali could even say anything in response, she felt Cleria grab her by the wrist and pull her towards an unknown location that the former could only assume would be her new home for however long they were here.</p><hr/><p>Within the mysterious realm belonging to the murderer of Vali's parents and their still unknown ally, the former was looking over magical signatures in Kuoh Town through a floating screen.</p><p>"Hmm... by now, Cleria's had to have taken the girl out of Kuoh Town, but I can't find any traces of her leaving through magic, and I doubt they left on foot." They assumed.</p><p>They let out a sigh as the rubbed their forehead.</p><p>"Just what am I missing here?" They questioned.</p><p>"If you don't mind me sharing my two cents on the subject? It's knowing how to think outside the box."</p><p>Hearing a masculine voice from above, he turned around and lifted his head to see someone fall from the ceiling, revealing they wore a pale gray trench coat over a white dress shirt with a matching ascot, black pants and shoes, a pair of black gloves, and a black fedora. On his back were a pair of dove-like wings, revealing he was an Angel.</p><p>"Well, if it isn't Dohnaseek." The assassin said while rolling his eyes.</p><p>Lifting his head and tipping his fedora up, the man known as Dohnaseek revealed his middle-aged face, short black hair, and dark blue eyes.</p><p>"How rude. I know how those two Devil girls you're hunting hid from you, and was willing to help you find them, but if you don't want my help..." Dohnaseek said with false sorrow.</p><p>This caught the assassin's attention.</p><p>"So, I take it you're interested now?" He assumed, lowering his fedora to its original position.</p><p>"Just how did you find this out?" They asked.</p><p>Dohnaseek snapped his fingers, causing a magic circle to drop a camera into his hands, then brought up a certain video. After he set it to play, he handed it to the assassin as they took a look at what looked to be a simple Shinto shrine.</p><hr/><p>
  <em>As the scene focused on the largest building that the shrine's owners called home, a woman and her daughter were seen sitting together.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The mother was a beautiful woman with a voluptuous figure being showcased by her Shrine Maiden outfit that had the same vermilion bird symbol as the talisman that Cleria used on its backside, long and flowing black hair that reached to her mid back, which was currently tied in a ponytail by a blue ribbon, and light brown eyes. Her daughter, who was currently wearing a red kimono, looked almost identical to her besides having violet eyes and having her untied black hair reach to her waist.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Hey mama, do you think daddy is proud of me?" Her daughter asked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes, of course." Her mother answered.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>That made her daughter smile, though said smile soon became a little sad.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'd like it if he was always here with us." She wished.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her mother rubbed her head in response.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I do too, but he has a really important job. Just like we do here at the shrine." Her mother replied.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>At that moment, heavy breathing reached her ears. This caused both of them to look up, and once they did, Shuri saw Cleria catching her breath.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Miss Shuri, things are... the worst has..." She panted, feeling her lungs were on fire.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The panting Devil held up a finger as she nearly wheezed from the fiery pain shooting through her stomach and throat.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"We need to talk... in private." Cleria requested.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hearing that, Shuri looked at her daughter.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Akeno, could you go inside for a moment? It seems that Cleria needs to tell mama something only she should hear." She asked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"OK." Akeno nodded.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jumping off her mother's lap with her toy ball in hand, she went into the house and closed the door.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Shuri soon stood up, with a serious look replacing the smile she had only seconds earlier.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You don't come here without alerting me advance unless something is terribly wrong, so that would mean that's exactly what happened, isn't it?" She assumed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah, because what happened was..." Cleria confirmed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She began sharing the recent events, making the Shrine Maiden's eyes widen in horror.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No way..." Shuri breathed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And that's why I'm here. We have to get out of the country, but they'll detect us if we use magic, while just running will make it very likely we'll be caught." Cleria explained.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I don't see how I can help you there. At most, that just tells me I'll need to clean up Vali's house and then put it on the market once that's done." Shuri inquired.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hearing that, Cleria blushed in embarrassment.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Sorry, I meant they'll detect us if we use <strong>Devil</strong> magic to leave. I need one if your talismans to get around that issue, since it will let me fool them by leaving a signal they would assume is you, a Youkai, or someone among the Shinto Gods." She clarified.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ah, now that I can help you with." Shuri replied, taking one out.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She gave it to Cleria, who sighed in relief as she procured her and Vali's means of escape.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Also, one last thing." She requested.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She whispered this part to Shuri, seemingly being cautious over the possibility of this being heard, making Dohnaseek sweat at the chance they may walk near his hiding spot.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I will, now go and keep her safe." Shuri promised, putting her right hand on Cleria's shoulder.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Cleria nodded and ran towards the alley she would meet Vali at, expecting she was nearly finished with her goodbye to Issei.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Shuri then lifted her hand into the air, causing a fire to appear and transform into a small red Fenghuang that looked at her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>'Oh no, please don't find me!' Dohnaseek begged, feeling himself sweat.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Luckily, after whispering something to the bird, it flew off towards the old school building and Shuri went inside.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>'Phew...' He thought.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Looking at the camera that held the footage he just captured, Dohnaseek let out a quiet chuckle.</em>
</p><hr/><p>Seeing the end of the footage, the assassin turned to look at the screen, causing his eyes to dart around until he finally found the signature tied to a use of Shinto Magic.</p><p>"With this, I have a lock on where they went!" They smirked.</p><p>"On the chance you figure it out sooner than later? I'd wait at least a week before you go, that way they won't suspect anything after you follow them." Dohnaseek suggested.</p><p>He then held up a marble, which got the assassin's attention. Dohnaseek soon tossed it at then.</p><p>After catching it, the assassin looked at its form, raising an eye.</p><p>"Throw that onto the girl before you attack. If they somehow get away from again, then I'll tell you how that can help." He explained, tipping his hat again.</p><p>He flapped his wings and disappeared in a cross made of light, leaving a few white feathers behind.</p><p>Once he was gone, the assassin took another look.</p><p>"Hmm... while he might be a strange Angel, he did help me find a lead to their hiding spot. Perhaps it would be prudent to keep this on hand for when he recommended it?" The assassin decided.</p><p>Turning back to the screen, they looked at the location compared to the area they killed Vali's power with a sharp glare.</p><p>"Run all you want, little Devil, as I <em>will</em> find you." They promised.</p><p>A dark chuckle left their throat as they continued looking.</p><hr/><p>Vali and Cleria had finally arrived at their new home, and the former could do nothing but stare at the building before them.</p><p>The building that, as she quite easily realized by its sheer size... could only be called a mansion!</p><p>"A mansion!?" Vali finally said, after rediscovering her voice.</p><p>"Yep, are you surprised?" Cleria answered.</p><p>"Of course I am! Back in Kuoh Town, you were living in a small apartment, so how did you afford this!?" She replied.</p><p>"Next small tidbit of supernatural info? Devils of our ranking are usually quite loaded, with all of this from just a little of the money your grandma sent me in case a situation like this ever came up." Cleria revealed.</p><p>Vali turned white in shock.</p><p>'Just a <em>little</em> money!?' She thought, hoping that Cleria wouldn't tell her how much her grandma had given her overall.</p><p>She then released a deep breath, getting Cleria's attention.</p><p>"Is something wrong?" She asked.</p><p>"No, I'm just wondering if I should be surprised by anything else you tell me..." Vali answered.</p><p>Cleria thought about that.</p><p>"Probably the full context of everything I need to tell you, and that should be it." She admitted.</p><p>Vali sighed in relief.</p><p>"Now, with that out of the way... let's see our new home!" Cleria announced.</p><p>She marched into the mansion, followed by Vali a minute later.</p><p>Once they were inside, a group of five people that was made up of three girls and two boys could be seen. Hearing the door open, one of the boys stood up and looked at the others.</p><p>"Ah, glad to see you've arrived safely, Lady Cleria." Her Queen greeted.</p><p>Vali blinked as she looked at Cleria, who let out a small giggle in response.</p><p>"I'm assuming you've gotten far enough in history class to know what a retainer is, right?" She asked.</p><p>"I have, why do you ask?" Vali asked.</p><p>"These five are part of a similar thing for Devils we know as a peerage, though I'll explain more about that later." Cleria explained.</p><p>She then took a moment to introduce her peerage by name, and once introductions were finished on both sides?</p><p>"OK, now that we've gotten all that out of the way... it's time I tell you everything about the supernatural and where you stand in it." Cleria stated.</p><p>Vali let out an audible gulp and nodded her head, readying herself for what she was about to hear.</p><hr/><p>The assassin walked into the alley where Cleria and Vali made their jump to Florida, rubbing a finger on it and looking at the residue left behind.</p><p>"Hmm... it looks like the distance was big, much too big to be anywhere in Japan or Asia as a whole. I'd say even Australia isn't far enough for the distance I sense." They said to themselves.</p><p>After saying that, they thought about other factors with what they knew.</p><p>'Cleria must have thought hard about this. Picked a location that would benefit both them and maybe her peerage, though still far to hide their tracks.' They thought.</p><p>Somewhere far, would benefit Devils, and isn't in Asia or Australia.</p><p>Looking at their finger, the assassin decided to lick the residue off of it and got a taste of the magic as an attempt to get one last clue.</p><p>"Oh?" They said in surprise.</p><p>Taking another lick, their eyes widened as they got their answer.</p><p>"Very clever, and yet... it wasn't clever enough." They smirked.</p><p>Pulling the sleeve of their cloak back, the assassin shot their hand forward and smashed into part of the wall, but instead of breaking it? They managed to breach through the magical residue with what looked like a reptilian claw and show the alley where they arrived.</p><p>A smirk slipped through their hood as they readied their plans to attack a week from now, looking at the marble Dohnaseek gave them before pocketing it.</p><hr/><p>In the mansion that was now home to Cleria and Vali, the former was seen in a maid outfit as she brought up a snack for the latter, reaching the room that she chose as hers and knocking on the door.</p><p>"Hey Vali, are you hungry? I brought you a snack." She asked.</p><p>"Door's open, just come in..." Vali replied with a solemn tone.</p><p>After hearing that tone, Cleria sighed as she remembered what kind of state she was in, and opened the door to see Vali lying face first on the bed. While she didn't hear the sound of crying being muffled by the sheets, it was pretty clear how she was feeling right now.</p><p>She put the tray on her nightstand and sat by her.</p><p>"The adrenaline finally wore off, didn't it?" Cleria asked, rubbing her back.</p><p>Vali lifted her head to answer, only for show confusion at her maid outfit.</p><p>"I'm posing as your head maid." Cleria answered.</p><p>"Oh yeah, I forgot about our covers." Vali remembered.</p><p>She flipped over and stared at the ceiling, remembering everything that Cleria had spent the last hour and a half explaining to her over two hours ago. About the supernatural world. The various species in it. How almost all mythologies and religions, except Cryptids which were just Humans mistaking what were actually something known as... Stray Devils, if she remembered right? But most of all, how she was a Devil Princess, and now the sole descendant of Lucifer and Lilith.</p><p>Most of it flew over her head, but the general summary of things she remembered was Christianity started with just the Biblical God, with his true name being Yahweh, till the day Satan came and the infamous opposition of Angels and Devils was born. This led her to ask how she could be their last descendant in the most obvious way of them just having another child... which is when it was all made clear.</p><p>Cleria explained how the peerage system, which allowed Devils to be reborn as Humans, was created after an event they called the Great War pushed both races to the brink of extinction. Originally, her grandparents weren't the leaders of Hell, but took over after the end of this war. They were the ones who kept the Devils' population steady, yet the death of their former leader had left both of them sterile.</p><p>
  <em>"In other words, if that murderer kills you as well? There will never be another Devil who shares their blood." Cleria's voice echoed.</em>
</p><p>Vali felt the weight of that sentence as if it had been glass dropping against the floor, but the reason her father's heritage had cost both her parents their lives became even more painful after hearing the reason behind it.</p><p>Besides her grandparents, there were three other powerful bloodlines known as the Leviathan Clan, the Beelzebub Clan, and the Asmodeus Clan, with a fourth bloodline that acted as a decoy to hers known as the Lucifuge Clan... which was also the only one that hadn't been wiped out. Apparently, someone or some group based on the assassin who killed her parents, had been wiping them out since at least the time of the Great War.</p><p>It had all began when a group of high-ranked Devil Clans who had seemingly been loyal to her grandparents betrayed them, and then began to wipe them out without any warning. With the death of her father, Vali had been left not just the sole survivor of the Lucifer/Lilith bloodline, but of what was known as the Maou bloodlines, meaning her parents had been killed out of apparent selfishness.</p><p>"This isn't fair... why did my parents have to die just because people hated them? We were living in this world as Humans, and I don't think they ever had plans to tell me the truth. We weren't a threat to them!" She questioned.</p><p>Vali rolled over and buried her head onto the covers again, leaving Cleria to stare for a moment as she began crying again, prompting another back rub.</p><p>"All of this is that damn Satan's fault, I hate him!" Vali screamed.</p><p>"You and me both, along with many Devils in today's age. Even though he brought our kind into existence, many have since become more aware to the nature of why, and how it's made our species suffer as a result." Cleria replied, closing her eyes.</p><p>She soon felt Vali get up and hug her, and she let out a small sigh before hugging her back and smiling at the gesture, still rubbing her back as she let Vali cry.</p><p>"I... I don't know what to do anymore..." She sniffled, breathing heavily.</p><p>Cleria didn't know what to say at first, but she knew that Vali couldn't go on like this, and decided to take action.</p><p>"Vali, look at me." She stated.</p><p>Vali felt herself pulled out of the hug as Cleria's eyes met with her own, making her feel a little uncomfortable.</p><p>"The one thing I've known about you all these years is that you are a strong young woman, and you <em>can</em> overcome this. Since you can't see that right now? I'm going to make you remember that, no matter it takes!" Cleria declared.</p><p>"E-Eh?" Vali mumbled, unsure of how she should react.</p><p>Cleria let go of her and pulled out some kind of hair clip, then put it in her hair. Seconds after she did, Vali gasped as her hair turned blonde, with Cleria changing her hairstyle into an upright bun as her eyes turned green. By the time she was finished, Cleria looked like a new person.</p><p>"You are going to go into town and rediscover yourself, but before that happens? There's something important that we need to do." Cleria stated, showing a scary look in her eyes.</p><p>Vali began to sweat after hearing that, but just as she tried to runaway...</p><p>*"LOCK!"*</p><p>She heard the door lock, distracting her long enough for Cleria's hands to get a strong grip on her arm.</p><p>"Now, just sit still and relax." Cleria advised.</p><p>Vali turned to look at Cleria's face, seeing she her eyes were now closed and there was a glare shadow on the area of her face they rested on.</p><p>'Oh boy...' Vali thought, feeling herself frozen by the intensity of her stare.</p><hr/><p>Somewhere in the territory of the Belial Clan, a saddened Diehauser was sitting in his home, covering his face to hide the tears in his eyes. Like most of his clan, he had just gotten word that Cleria was executed alongside Masaomi for going too far against the agreements of their relationship.</p><p>"Cleria... why didn't you listen to me?" He questioned.</p><p>As he was about to start his second stage of crying...</p><p>*"TWEET! TWEET!"*</p><p>He suddenly raised his head and pulled his hands off his face, then turned to see Shuri's bird as it flew to him with a box. He was initially weary of it, but once the bird set it down? He saw a familiar signature on top, making him gasp as he recognized it.</p><p>"From Cleria?" He stated in surprise.</p><p>Shuri's bird flew off as he grabbed the box, opening it to see a letter that glowed once he touched it, which he immediately opened.</p><p>
  <em>"Diehauser, if you're reading this letter, then I'm sorry... I broke our promise."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Despite what you told me, I used a loophole in how you didn't make me pinkie promise to investigate further about the King Piece, and now I know too much to be kept alive by those damn higher-ups in the Devil government. As such, if you've heard me and Masaomi were executed... that's a lie. While Masaomi is dead, what really happened was he gave up his life to let me save Vali's from the same fate."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Since I know my remaining Evil Pieces will be confiscated, I've had them sent to you in this box, and each of them contains information that I added in a way I know only you can access. Don't tell anyone you know this, and take over in my mission in taking those bastards down. When you find time, go see Ajuka so he can let her grandparents know the truth, because one day? There's a chance you can reveal the truth in a way that will keep anyone else from being killed."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"This is the last time we'll be able to speak, so I just want you to know that I appreciate how you were watching out for me. Let my parents know I love them, and no matter what happens... stay strong. From this moment on, the rest of my life will be used to make sure Vali stays alive as my atonement for my actions leading to the death of her parents. So, take care... and goodbye."</em>
</p><p>Finishing the letter, Diehauser felt some tears well up, though stopped them with a strong sniffle as he opened the box and saw an unused Knight, Bishop, and Rook inside.</p><p>"I may not know what you want me to do, but... I'll make sure your efforts won't be in vain." He promised.</p><p>He grabbed the Knight, then tightened his hand around it as he accessed the first third of the information Cleria left in it.</p><hr/><p>Vali felt herself sweating a little as she sat in a barber chair.</p><p>"If this is happening no matter I say or do, then can you at least tell me what you're doing so I can, I don't know... not panic!?" She begged, getting close to hyperventilating.</p><p>"That's simple." Cleria answered.</p><p>She held up scissors and a basket of beauty products, making Vali's face go blank as she saw them.</p><p>"A makeover." She smiled, clipping the scissors twice for emphasis.</p><p>Hearing that, Vali let out a groan and leaned her head back, since she couldn't move her hands to face palm herself. This action confused Cleria a little.</p><p>"Why didn't you just say that? I was terrified over what you were about to do!" Vali questioned.</p><p>"Easy, because it helped me take your mind off everything." Cleria answered, smiling at her.</p><p>She sighed at that answer.</p><p>"Cleria, you have a weird way of doing things, you know that?" Vali replied, giving her a half-lidded stare.</p><p>"That I do." Cleria replied, winking at her.</p><p>She put down the basket and readied her scissors, looking at her hair and trying to think of an idea.</p><p>"Glad this all happened when you were due for a haircut. I don't want to change your style too much if you aren't willing to try something new." She remarked.</p><p>"And I'm not, so thank you." Vali replied.</p><p>Hearing that, Cleria nodded as Vali closed her eyes, and she began the makeover by giving her hair a healthy trim.</p><p>"Hmm... how do I make your style look more like a rich girl's without too many changes?" She wondered aloud.</p><p>She then snapped her fingers and formed a magic circle.</p><p>Vali suddenly felt water on her head, making her spit it out slightly as Cleria squirted one of her many basket's products into her hand, running it over her hair and pulling on it as she gave it some shine and made it straighter than before.</p><p>"Now, let's add this in." Cleria decided.</p><p>Once again, Vali felt an odd sensation as a tug appeared in the back of her hair, which marked Cleria linking two braids using some of her hair. While doing this, she used a bit of magic to instantly dry it off.</p><p>"And your hair looks great!" She praised herself.</p><p>She then placed some lotion in her hands and rubbed it all over her skin, also using some magic to help dry it like her hair. As Vali kept her eyes closed, she also felt Cleria's hands do something to her nails, her eyelashes, and what she assumed was changing her wardrobe.</p><p>'I want to trust Cleria's judgment, but I'm also worried about what I'll look like once this is all over...' Vali admitted, shaking slightly at the thought.</p><p>"Done!" Cleria sang.</p><p>With those words, Vali opened her eyes as Cleria held out a mirror towards her.</p><p>A gasp left her mouth as she saw how beautiful she looked. The first thing that came into notice was she had brunette hair and blue eyes, though based on the feeling of having hair her tied during the makeover, she assumed the ribbon holding the braids in her hair worked just like Cleria's hair clip. For her hair itself? It was mostly the same, but now looked more elegant by the straightening added to it.</p><p>Her current attire now consisted of sky-blue button up shirt with short sleeves and stylized ends, a black skirt that reached somewhat above her kneecaps, and brown shoes with tiny touch of a high heel to them. As if to represent a finishing touch of sorts? The silver charm based on the astrological symbol for the moon gave off a notable shine.</p><p>"Cleria, this is... wow, just... wow!" She praised, unable to see or say anything bad about it.</p><p>"I do my best." Cleria smiled.</p><p>She soon gave Vali a tiny wallet, confusing her a little... until a minute later, once she had been pushed outside the front door.</p><p>"Now go out and have some fun!" She stated.</p><p>Cleria then closed the door, leaving Vali to stare at the door for a moment, then blink as she looked towards her wallet.</p><p>"How much did she give-" Vali asked herself, opening it.</p><p>The money she saw inside immediately caused her voice to fail until she closed it again.</p><p>"Never mind..." She whispered.</p><p>Looking at the door again, and realizing Cleria wouldn't let her back inside any time soon, Vali let out a sigh decided to go into town like Cleria asked her to. From the window, a worried Cleria was seen crossing her fingers.</p><hr/><p>Back in the mysterious realm the assassin and his unknown partner resided in, the two were seen talking as the former revealed their discovery of Vali and Cleria's location.</p><p>"So, they fled to America, huh? A wise choice." The silhouetted figure admitted.</p><p>"What makes you say that?" The assassin inquired, raising an eye at their reply.</p><p>"America a country where Christianity is the main religion practiced there, but it's one that favors Devils more because of what it was founded on. That means it would be easier for her to get wind of our search and relocate before we found them." The silhouetted figure explained.</p><p>The assassin groaned in response.</p><p>"I get it... all the Angels and Devils there would have forced us to search slowly to avoid raising suspicion, which would let secondhand info spread to Cleria faster than our searching could find her." They realized.</p><p>"Exactly, but since we managed to find them from here? We now have the means to walk around that issue." The silhouetted figure confirmed.</p><p>They stood up and swung their hand out.</p><p>"Prepare yourself to attack them on Thanksgiving, so we can show them there's nothing for them to be thankful for when it fails to save them!" They ordered, causing their eyes to glow in the darkness.</p><p>"As you wish, I'll begin my preparations now." The assassin replied.</p><p>A magic circle appeared underneath the assassin as they vanished.</p><hr/><p>Time flew by until it had been a week since Vali's departure from Kuoh Town and her arrival in Florida, with the scene opening to the Devil Princess walking through the city as she tried to have fun.</p><p>'Even after a whole week of being here, nothing's changed. I still feel miserable...' Vali thought.</p><p>
  <strong>[Fairy Tail: Main Theme - Slow Piano]</strong>
</p><p>She had honestly tried, but nothing was able to make her forget the pain of losing everything.</p><p>Feeling a slight hunger in her stomach, she soon sat down at a cafe, where she ordered a fancy salad and ate it as if she barely tasted it. After she finished it all a few minutes later, she continued walking and found herself at a shopping area.</p><p>'Worst of all, even if I could talk to someone other than Cleria and her peerage about how I'm feeling? No one would be able to understand what I went through.' She thought.</p><p>
  <em>"Promise me that, one day, we'll see each other again?" Issei's voice echoed.</em>
</p><p>Hearing that, she suddenly stopped in place, feeling like she just heard a ghost.</p><p>"What the?" Vail asked.</p><p>She looked around, confused to how she heard what she did, and then... something else caught her attention.</p><p>"I-I don't know... what to do!" Someone cried.</p><p>Turning around, she saw a young boy and girl who looked to be about 5 and 6 years old standing together near a store, with the young boy crying his eyes out.</p><p>"Hey, it will be alright. Don't cry." She pleaded.</p><p>"W-What if mommy... never wakes up... and leaves me? I don't want her to... stay asleep... forever!" He cried.</p><p>As she watched them, Vali's eyes widened as she heard those words, causing something in her to suddenly ignite.</p><p>
  <strong>[Insert Song End]</strong>
</p><p>Looking around, she saw a few things that might help.</p><p>"I... well, she can't sleep forever, right? I mean... she has to get better, won't she?" The girl answered, unsure how to comfort her friend over his comatose mother.</p><p>At that moment, Vali came over to the young duo, holding out a balloon and a scoop of ice cream towards the boy.</p><p>"Sorry, I overhead you two. Is his mom in the hospital right now?" Vali asked.</p><p>The young girl nodded her head, right as the boy took the balloon and the ice cream.</p><p>"I see... well, your friend is right." She continued.</p><p>Hearing that, the boy looked at her in surprised.</p><p>"Your mom is strong, and she's fighting to wake up and see you again, but you need to help her. Believe in her, and your strength will become part of hers. Remember that, and I can promise you in almost no time at all, she'll be greeting you with a warm hug and a smile on her face." Vali promised, rubbing his head.</p><p>Those words caused the boy's tears to fade away as he felt a smile form on his face.</p><p>"You mean it? OK then, I'll believe!" He promised, closing his eyes as his smile grew.</p><p>Seeing him look happy, the young girl smiled with him. At that moment, Vali's eyes widened as she briefly saw her and Issei at that same age, both smiling in the same way they were.</p><p>
  <strong>[One Piece: I'm Whitebeard]</strong>
</p><p>Right at that moment, the two heard the girl's father call for them.</p><p>"Thank you, nice lady!" Both of them stated.</p><p>They both ran towards the girl's father, and Vali stood up while waving to them, saying nothing as she did.</p><p>Once the duo was out of view? She looked at her left hand, lifting it up as she caught her necklace in it.</p><p>'Why did I say that to them? Right now, I'm the last person to be saying that, so why did I do it? Why do I... why do I feel I meant every word I said?' She asked herself.</p><p>Her moon charm gleamed as if to answer her, and then...</p><p>
  <em>"No matter how far apart we are or where we end up? The two of us will always be friends, because we share the same sky." Issei's voice echoed.</em>
</p><p>As those words echoed into her ears, she felt her eyes briefly widen, then return to normal as tears filled them and said hand only extended her pinkie.</p><p>"How could I have been so blind?" She asked herself.</p><p>The tears hit the ground as everything became clear to her.</p><p>'Here I am, thinking that I've lost everything, and yet... there's something I still have. No, someone I still have, but only if I find the strength to make it back to him!' Vali realized as she held her necklace with both hands.</p><p>Vali closed her eyes, feeling the image of a certain boy appear in her head as the image of a black shadow resembling the assassin was shown holding her, which began to shake as if it was suddenly struck by an unbearable pain.</p><p>'I still have you, Issei... and I made a promise with you I'm not going to break!' She thought with intense passion.</p><p>The shadowy illusion let out a pained shriek as it was ripped apart, revealing Vali as she made a determined face.</p><p>
  <strong>[Insert Song End]</strong>
</p><p>Taking a deep breath, she ran back home.</p><hr/><p>Cleria was seen sitting in Vali's bedroom as she did the latter's laundry, looking somewhat bored, and right as she was about to fold her next piece...</p><p>"Cleria!" Vali shouted, opening the door.</p><p>"Ah!" She shouted, throwing it in the air.</p><p>Vali blinked a few times as Cleria took a moment to catch her breath, feeling her increased heartbeat until it went back down.</p><p>"Sorry." She apologized.</p><p>Feeling her surprise die down, Cleria looked at Vali.</p><p>"Why are you back so early?" She finally asked.</p><p>"I came to tell you something, and it's... that your belief of me and Issei never seeing each other again is wrong." Vali answered.</p><p>Those words caused Cleria to respond with just a look of surprise and confusion.</p><p>"My parents might be gone, but I still have him. I'll find a way to return to him no matter what. After all, if there's one thing you've always told me... it's that you can't break a pinkie promise." She continued, before showing her smile.</p><p>Hearing those words, a quiet gasp left Cleria's mouth before Vali turned around and left the room, causing her to peak out as she saw that smile stay.</p><p>That sight was enough to make her tear up and smile as well.</p><p>'Razevan... Sarah... are the two of you seeing this? Your little girl... she's smiling again!' Cleria thought before shedding those tears.</p><p>Once Vali stepped outside the mansion again, she held up her necklace to the morning sky and the sun, closing her eyes to show off her smile. However, unknown to her? Issei had been doing the same towards the night sky and the moon back in Japan.</p><p>'Thank you, Issei.' She thought.</p><p>With that, Vali ran into town again.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong> <em>~ December 25th, 2017: Kuoh Town</em> </strong>
</p><p>Rias stared at the sealed letter for a while, part of her afraid to open it and see what had been written inside, but when her eyes saw the broken Queen Piece... she realized it had become impossible for her to ignore the implications and immediately ripped it open.</p><p>Unfolding the continents of the letter, she began reading something that caused her eyes to widen from the opening sentence alone.</p><p>
  <em>"To my likely successor. If you're reading this letter, then it's more than likely I'm already dead... or I will be soon enough."</em>
</p><p>The redheaded Devil felt her throat dry up, forcing her to swallow in order to wet her mouth once more.</p><p>
  <em>"The first thing you should have noticed is that my drawer contains one or more broken Evil Pieces inside of it, and as that would imply? Those members of my peerage have already been killed as a result of the task that forced me to leave Japan and appear dead. You may have been told I was expelled from my post as the Head of Kuoh due to my relationship with the former exorcist known by the name of Masaomi Yaegaki, but that's a lie."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"In reality, I learned of something so dangerous, you can't ask anyone what it is, because finding out will risk making you and the people you care about into targets as well. All I can say is this is something that only one of the Maou should know, yet in a way that may escape even his knowledge. I'm fairly certain that even my cousin Diehauser, who should still be Champion of the Rating Games, doesn't know anything about it."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"My curiosity got the better of me, and I ended up putting a target not just on my head, but an entire family who had been hiding in this Town for their safety, and shouldn't have been targets since it was my job to protect them. Who was this family you may ask? Well, before I mention this part... if by any chance you've been reading this letter out loud, then make sure there's no one who could be spying on you before you continue."</em>
</p><p>Rias paused as she quickly glanced around as a safety measure, and then held out her left hand.</p><p>A magic square appeared as a small orb-shaped bat appeared in her palm and flapped its wings.</p><p>"Make sure nothing or no one suspicious is nearby." She asked.</p><p>The bat nodded and flapped its wings faster to move at its fastest, and flew out of the room to begin its search, which took a total of 5 minutes to complete. Once the small bat returned? It shook its head, making Rias sigh before she smiled in relief.</p><p>"Thank you." Rias praised.</p><p>Her Familiar smiled in return before it vanished in a puff of smoke, and she resumed reading the letter.</p><p>
  <em>"Nothing to spy or overhear you? Good, because the family in question... were the remaining descendants of Lilith and Lucifer."</em>
</p><p>A silent gasp escaped from Rias' mouth as she saw that part.</p><p>'Lady Lilith and Lord Lucifer have direct descendants? I thought the closest thing to that was...' Rias thought.</p><p>She paused mid-thought, briefly recalling something.</p><p>'Hold on, if this information is true, then why didn't my mom tell me about this during my studies?' She recalled.</p><p>Rias decided to come back to that and resumed reading the letter.</p><p>
  <em>"Because of my mistake, someone I was unable to identify appeared in their home... and the family was almost entirely destroyed. The father, who held the blood of our great leaders inside of him, along with his human wife, were murdered right before their daughter's eyes. A daughter who only survived because I managed to intervene and pull her away through a magic circle at the last moment, but only because I was forced to make the ultimate sacrifice."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I asked Masaomi to rush to the scene, despite this enemy was able to kill someone as strong as her father, and in the end... his life was snuffed out in the same way this girl's parents were."</em>
</p><p>Hearing that part made Rias cover her mouth as she felt tears form in her eyes, some of which fell on the letter.</p><p>
  <em>"Their daughter woke up soon after, looking confused and scared, and I couldn't blame her. That girl had been living under the belief that she was Human, so learning what she really was changed her world almost as much as the murder of her parents. She was especially mad when I revealed her parents died because of my actions, and I still feel like I didn't deserve her forgiveness after she learned what I gave up to save her."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"However, what pained me most was telling her we had to leave. Not just her home, or everyone and everything she ever knew, but her best friend... who was the first one she ever had due to her family having to constantly move to escape those who would hunt them. It only served to remind me how horribly I messed up, and how all I could do to atone for it... was have me and my peerage protect her from then on, even if it killed us."</em>
</p><p>Rias felt sick to her stomach, but not out of disgust.</p><p>This letter was just so depressing that it almost became too painful for her stomach, but after reading it this far, she knew there was no way for her to stop and walk away. As such, she took a deep breath and continued.</p><p>
  <em>"After giving her the little time we had left for her to say goodbye, the two of us left Kuoh Town."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Things were fine at first, and we discovered something incredible that I wish could be said in this letter for every Devil to celebrate, but... only a week after our arrival? Her assassin managed to discover us. We immediately hid somewhere else, but they found us just as fast, which is when I realized we would no longer be able to hide. Just run, and when the situation forced it on us? Fight."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Unfortunately, our first attempt to fight back... showed me that this was a war we couldn't win."</em>
</p><p>Looking at the broken Queen Piece, a horrified look appeared on Rias' face.</p><p>
  <em>"If you're looking at my now broken Queen Piece after reading that last line? Then I'm afraid your thoughts are correct. My Queen lost her life in our most recent battle, and I don't know who else from my peerage will have fallen by the time you read this, so I made a spell to make all of my deceased peerage members' Evil Pieces appear in the drawer with this letter. Let every piece be a warning of how close things are getting the worst-case scenario."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"If it's actually happened, then how many Evil Pieces are in there won't matter... because you'll find something else to mark that I've died, and/or that Razevan's daughter had been captured."</em>
</p><p>Just as she finished reading that, a trio of flashes appeared, making Rias see three new Evil pieces had appeared in it.</p><p>It was one Knight, one Bishop, and one Rook... all of which were in much worse condition than the Queen, which was merely cracked to their chipped and broken states. The mere sight was enough that Rias felt a bead of sweat go down her cheek.</p><p>'How many people were in Cleria's peerage?' She thought, biting the nail on her thumb.</p><p>Rias put the letter down for a moment and pulled out some of the files on her predecessor, skimming through it until she found information about her peerage. However, what she saw made her eyes widen in horror.</p><p>She only had a peerage comprised of 5 people, four of which had taken her Queen, a single Bishop, Knight, and Rook respectively, and all eight of her Pawns... and a horrible note saying the rest of her Evil Pieces had been confiscated.</p><p>'Oh no...'</p><p>Rias returned to the letter immediately.</p><p>
  <em>"I can't keep this up forever, and I feel closer to breaking (physically) for every day that goes by. If you see a necklace with a metal charm of a silver color in the shape of the Moon's astronomical symbol? That necklace belongs to the daughter that I've been trying to protect, so use that to identify her if she somehow returns to Kuoh Town for help. I don't know if you can do anything, or ask anyone who can for help, but... at least try to help her."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Most of all... if she does get captured, and you need a way to trace her? There's a necklace with a metal charm of a gold color in the shape of the Sun's astronomical symbol here in Kuoh Town, as hers was made by her best friend as a birthday present that became a goodbye present. As much as I don't want to involve him in this? If the situation forces you to ask for his help, then know the person you're looking for is a boy named-"</em>
</p><p>Rias saw the letter end there, and nothing more, leaving her without the name of his friend.</p><p>'Is she... already dead?' She thought.</p><p>Remembering what she said about something that would confirm her death, Rias looked through the drawer, but failed to find anything new. The moment she realized this; Rias bit the nail on her thumb.</p><p>Everything she just read was a shocker, but what truly scared her is what she was going to be able to do after reading it. Zekram apparently knew it was there, but he had never touched it, meaning it would be useless for her to ask him anything.</p><p>'Wait, now that I think of it...' She thought.</p><p>She didn't want to suspect him, but there's a good chance that what she believed as some kind of hint to open the drawer may have been a genuine warning to not open the drawer.</p><p>"There's no choice. Right now, they're the only ones I can trust." Rias realized, grabbing a pencil.</p><p>Rias grabbed a piece of paper and began writing a letter of her own, one addressed to her parents.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>Like I said in Chapter 1: "Sometimes, to get a better look at hope, things need to look hopeless."</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>After seeing her parents get murdered right before her eyes, that's exactly how Vali felt about everything, so she fully believed in what Cleria said about her never seeing Issei again. However, thanks to those pair of kids who reminded her of the importance of their bond? Vali's realized this will only happen if she lets it, and now she's determined to avert that reality. Not only that, but it looks like Issei's had the same realization back home.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Though there's also bad news for Vali's side, as what Rias found out in that letter's contents implies that things have taken a turn for the worse in the three years since then. So, what can she do to help?</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>And here we are with Part 2 of this double update special, the Issei chapter!</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>While the events are different, the story for his half is the same as Vali's, but still just as important because it will reveal a few things that will come up once the familiar time skip comes into play. I can also say this will be the last chapter that occurs in their Pre-High School years, so you won't have to wait much longer for the true action of LOHD to finally kick off again.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Now, for two things I'd like to mention before we begin?</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Back in the first Chapter, I said that the entirety of LOHD's un-revised and revised versions would be fully uploaded to AO3 upon the next update, so if you are one of the many veteran readers who've been anxiously waiting to see their return? Wait no more, because they're finally back! For anyone that hasn't seen the original? It may spoil a little, but the changes I've made for this reboot should be enough to avoid this, as I hope the adaption for V1 will prove.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>For the second thing? That's fairly minor, since it's just that me and kingpariah decided on a theme song for the story. Our choice was "RISE" from Rising of the Shield Hero, due to the duality theme it gives off.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>So, with all of that said? Let's get this chapter started!</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>[Chapter 3 - Memory of the Sun]</strong>
</p><p>It had only been only a few minutes since the people of Kuoh heard Issei's cries of anguish, and yet, no one managed to realize it was him who let out that saddening scream. They didn't seen see him walking out of the forest out of sheer luck on his end.</p><p>He walked home in a way almost reminiscent to someone stumbling and limping at the same time, and when he finally made it? Only one person noticed him open the door.</p><p>"Hmm?" They blinked, turning their head.</p><p>The person in question was soon revealed to be a boy who looked exactly like Issei would if he were currently 15-years old. The biggest difference that made it clear he and Issei weren't one in the same was his eyes were the same brown chocolate as his hair, rather than the latter's golden-brown ones that better fit his sun necklace.</p><p>Said lookalike was Hideki Hyoudou, his older brother and the official owner of his hairstyle.</p><p>"Oh, there you are Issei. I noticed you ran outside pretty quickly." He said, looking relieved.</p><p>"Yeah..." Issei replied, looking away slightly.</p><p>This caught the attention of his older brother.</p><p>"You alright? If something's wrong, then I don't mind lending an ear to-" He inquired.</p><p>"I need some alone time..." Issei interrupted.</p><p>His older brother froze, simply watching Issei pass him and head upstairs, completely speechless from how sudden and out of character his reply was. Despite all that, none of that had been what actually caught his attention.</p><p>It was the look in Issei's eyes... eyes that had suddenly become dull, as if something had stolen the luster they once had.</p><p>"Issei..." Hideki said under his breath.</p><p>His mind immediately went into overdrive as he began tapping his foot against the ground. While part of him wanted to respect his brother's wish to be alone? At the same time, something in his gut told him that this wasn't a good idea, and that he needed to do something before Issei got worse.</p><p>"Oh, maybe I should get mom and dad-" He realized, getting to his feet.</p><p>Just as Hideki was about to run off, he nearly tripped as he suddenly stopped and caught himself, his smile going flat as he remembered something that made him stop where he was. This was followed by some sweat before shaking his head.</p><p>"No, wait... getting mom and dad might be a bad idea..." He realized, remembering a past experience.</p><p>He sat on the couch again, rubbing his temple as he strained his brain for another idea, to no avail.</p><p>"Ugh!" He screamed.</p><p>Falling onto the couch cushions from the mental strain, Hideki laid there for a few seconds before opening his eyes and shooting back up.</p><p>"Wait, my best ideas always happen when I'm jamming!" Hideki exclaimed.</p><p>With those words, he ran out of the living room, then quickly came back with an expensive guitar in hand. Once he plugged it in and got into position, his right arm began to move like lightning as he used it to start jamming an awesome rock medley.</p><p>Hideki continued playing that medley for another minute before someone unplugged the guitar, causing him to pause in confusion.</p><p>"Seriously, did you not check how high the volume was before you began?" A feminine voice asked.</p><p>Turning around, Hideki saw the sight of a teenage girl of 14 years standing near the outlet he plugged his guitar into. She had long, flowing black hair that reached to the middle of her back that was partially tied into a single side ponytail on her left, with blue eyes that looked to be a mix of sky blue and ocean blue. Her figure was also very similar to Vali's, having slightly smaller assets in exchange for being taller.</p><p>Once his eyes saw her, Hideki let out a gasp as a metaphorical light bulb lit above his head, causing him to put his guitar on the couch cushion before he jumped at her. This surprised the new girl.</p><p>"Ai, you're the one who can help Issei!" He realized.</p><p>"Uh... I'm sorry, but what now?" She quickly asked.</p><p>The girl before him was Ai Hyoudou, his younger sister and Issei's older sister, who was also the wisest among the three siblings.</p><p>"Oh, right..." Hideki said, realizing she needed some context.</p><p>He took a moment to put his guitar back in his room, then took a deep breath as he looked at Ai.</p><p>"Earlier, I saw Issei walk into the house, and... something was wrong with him." He explained.</p><p>That surprised Ai a little.</p><p>"What seemed wrong?" She asked, now feeling concerned for her younger brother.</p><p>"He went outside for a moment, then he came back in looking all... well, I'm not sure what the word for it is, but it looked like he had all the life sucked out of him." Hideki revealed, showing a worried look.</p><p>Ai then gave a look of concern, seeing the same red flag that Hideki did, who scratched his head before continuing.</p><p>"I had a feeling that it wouldn't be a good idea to leave him alone, so at first, I thought about getting mom and dad-"</p><p>"Hideki, did you forget what happened last time you started with that?" Ai warned.</p><p>Hideki immediately froze, feeling Ai's gaze burn into him as he let out a forced laugh. Between the two of them, Ai was the more responsible sibling, with many past instances being evidence of her better judgment. The last time in question being one such instance where he had been wrong.</p><p>"No, I did remember, and decided against it!" He reassured her.</p><p>"Ah, so that means the reason you were playing the guitar was..." Ai realized, knowing how her brother thought of his better ideas.</p><p>"Was to think of something else, which I now know is you." Hideki confirmed.</p><p>Now that she was aware of everything, Ai moved a hand to her chin to think of how she could help Issei.</p><p>"We should at least give him time. I'll wait until Dinner's ready, and use that as an excuse to hopefully talk to him if he'll let me. Think you can try to keep mom and dad from learning about what's going on in the meantime?" She decided.</p><p>"If there's one thing I can do as well as play the guitar? It's keeping everyone's attention on me." Hideki replied, giving two thumbs up.</p><p>Ai smiled after hearing that.</p><hr/><p>The scene opens to somewhere not on Earth, evident by the presence of not a blue, but a greenish-colored sky. It was a place that was mostly land, with the only bodies of water in sight being large lakes scattered across long distances from one another.</p><p>Zooming onto a mansion among an of area comprised cities that looked like a series of red hexagons from above, a man was seen talking through a magic circle.</p><p>Said man looked like an older version of Rias if she had been born a boy and had shorter hair. As for his attire, it was something like a European noble's suit that was mostly white, having a black vest-like extension and gold stripes around the shoulders.</p><p>"I see, so... Cleria Belial and Masaomi Yaegaki have been executed for overstepping the boundaries we allowed for their relationship." He said sadly, closing his eyes.</p><p>After hearing who he was speaking to continue, he nodded his head.</p><p>"Yes, I understand. A member of my peerage will take the temporary role as Head of Kuoh until an official replacement is chosen. Now, if you'll excuse me? I have some work to catch up on, and I can't keep it waiting any longer." He answered.</p><p>Disconnecting the call, he let out an exhausted sigh before he slumped into his chair, feeling the headache he had been holding back finally smash through his mental barrier and hammer him with pain and stress.</p><p>"Something about this feels wrong, and yet... I can't do anything else. Why are things in the 21st century so complicated?" He questioned, closing his eyes as he did.</p><p>Luckily, at that moment, his stress was countered by a pair of hands massaging his shoulders.</p><p>This made him open his eyes to see the owner of these magical fingers was a young woman with a voluptuous figure, one with red eyes similar to the crimson that was his and Rias' hair color, long silver hair that flowed all the way to her back, featuring a long braid on each side with small pink bows tied at the ends, while the rest was tied in a ponytail that used another braid to hold it.</p><p>She wore a black shirt with golden-caramel accents at the edges of the shirt and spread horizontally near the bottom, with two light golden trims going down the shirt, and the shirt splitting slightly above her stomach to expose her midriff, and blue jeans with a white outline at the top. Topping it all off was a was a long, cyan scarf made from light material that reached to her hips, which wrapped around her neck and shoulders. However, there was one other addition that stood out the most.</p><p>It was the ring on her finger, one this man also possessed.</p><p>"From what I heard you say, it sounds like not only is work getting tougher, but something about what you were told doesn't feel right to you." His wife mentioned.</p><p>"Right on both ends. Aside from the growing situations, I can't shake this feeling that something about Cleria and Masaomi's deaths doesn't add up." He confirmed.</p><p>"Then perhaps what you've been told isn't the truth." She realized.</p><p>Taking a moment to sit up, he snapped his fingers, causing a magic circle to appear and let what looked like a Samurai appear from it.</p><p>"Lord Sirzechs and Lady Grayfia, what do request of me?" He asked.</p><p>"I have a suspicion about recent events that have been occurring in Kuoh Town, and would like you to find me answers from the shadows. Don't let anyone see you or trust anyone that can't give you a reason to." The man now known as Sirzechs requested.</p><p>"Specifically, try to get information on what happened to Cleria Belial and Masaomi Yaegaki if you can." Grayfia added.</p><p>"At once." The Samurai replied.</p><p>He vanished in another magic circle, right as Sirzechs created another three, immediately getting into contact with his most trusted friends.</p><p>Ones he hoped that, together, might be able to help them get more answers about everything.</p><hr/><p>It took an hour before Dinner was ready for the Hyoudou Family, though a saddened Issei didn't pay attention to that as laid on his stomach across his bed, with his head lying on its side.</p><p>"Vali..." He quietly sniffled, causing a few tears to run down his face.</p><p>Around this time, Ai finally walked up to his doorway, knocking on his door three times. Issei's eyes just barely moved to look in the direction of the door, right as his older sister chose to speak.</p><p>"Issei, come on down. It's time for Dinner." Ai stated, trying to see if he would willingly come out on his own.</p><p>"Go away, I'm not hungry..." Issei replied, looking away from the door.</p><p>Hearing those words leave Issei's mouth caused Ai to let out an expected sigh.</p><p>"Hideki told me about how you went outside for some reason and them came back inside without your usual spark, so I know why you're telling me that." She answered back.</p><p>Issei stopped crying for a moment.</p><p>"Please, let me come inside and talk with you. Shutting us all out won't help you at all. If you do, then I'll make a cover story to keep mom and dad from bothering you about this." She begged.</p><p>Following those words, Ai waited for some kind of answer, and a minute later...</p><p>"Just pick the lock and come inside..." Issei replied.</p><p>Letting out a sigh of relief, Ai reached for said lock pick and opened the door, soon walking in to see Issei lying on the bed with tear stains.</p><p>'Oh no, crying... I'm already hating the direction this is pointing to.' She thought, rubbing her arm in response.</p><p>Ai sat herself on the bed and rubbed Issei's back, who didn't react or look at her in response, and then she began.</p><p>"So, do you feel like sharing what's wrong? If not, then can you at least tell me what you feel like right now? I want to respect your feelings, but at the same time..." She inquired.</p><p>Issei just sniffled a bit, which was the closest thing Ai could take as an answer.</p><p>"Based on those tears, something made you really sad, didn't it..." Ai realized.</p><p>He said nothing in response.</p><p>"Hey, come here." Ai replied.</p><p>Realizing she was trying to give him a hug, Issei resisted, knowing he couldn't let Ai see the necklace he was wearing. The moment he began resisting, Ai realized something was wrong and simply strengthened her pull.</p><p>"Issei, stop this! You have no right to be a brat and not let me give you a hug!" Ai shouted.</p><p>"No, let me go! I can't let you!" He screamed, still resisting.</p><p>This continued for another minute or two as Issei tried all he could to avoid letting his sister succeed in pulling him up, but in the end, being three years older and in a better position let her win the struggle... which is when she saw the necklace.</p><p>"Hold up, isn't that one of the necklaces you made for your friendship with Vali? But I thought you weren't supposed to give that to her... until..." She asked.</p><p>Her eyes widened as she answered her own question, covering her mouth and gasping as she managed to realize why Issei had been crying, which he only verified when he moved his head away.</p><p>"Issei... is-" She asked.</p><p>"Fine, Vali just told me she's moving away! You happy now!?" Issei admitted, screaming his lungs out.</p><p>After he did, Ai watched him cover his eyes with his hands as his quiet cries evolved into loud sobbing.</p><p>"Oh, Issei, that's... I'm so sorry." Ai replied, hugging him close.</p><p>Issei just continued to cry, not resisting his sister's hug now that she knew the truth, which allowed her to start rubbing his back in a vain attempt to comfort him.</p><p>"This isn't fair! She says her father's job is the reason, and despite all they did to stay, there was nothing they could do to stop it!" He questioned, shaking slightly.</p><p>"Fair or not doesn't matter when it comes to a job, and where that job is." Ai answered.</p><p>She shushed him a bit as he began to cry latter, eventually getting his cries to devolve into average volume sniffling, then began patting his back a few times as he began to relax.</p><p>Issei said nothing as he wiped his eyes.</p><p>"We made a pinkie promise that we'd see each other one day, and... and yet... part of me is still scared that we'll never see each other again!" He admitted.</p><p>Ai continued to pat his back as he said this, taking a deep breath before answering him.</p><p>"Believe me Issei, if there's anyone who knows how this feels like the worst thing in the world, and/or that means goodbye forever... it's me." Ai reassured him.</p><p>"Really?" Issei asked as he sniffled again.</p><p>"Yeah, not in the same way, but the pain from it was definitely the same. I was dating someone two years ago and we seemed like the perfect couple, but... we had different interests and goals we wanted to follow. Over time, it became clear to us that our relationship wasn't going to work out... so, we broke up." She answered, explaining how she knew.</p><p>This story, which confused Issei, made him blink.</p><p>"Hold on... how does this story help me?" He asked.</p><p>"It helps you, as I'm about to tell you now, because before we decided to break up? My ex told me that just because we'd be breaking up, doesn't mean we would stay broken up forever. There could be a day when our lives change enough that we might be able to have the relationship we couldn't at the time. If I have a second chance, even if it's a small one, to date him again? You and Vali can meet each other again. In fact, with how you said her parents tried to stop it, it's just as likely they're working hard to find a way back." Ai answered, rubbing his head.</p><p>While he was still sad? After hearing that, Issei felt a little better.</p><p>"You really think I'll see her again?" He asked, sounding hopeful.</p><p>"Can't say for sure, but it isn't impossible." She responded, doing her best to give him a hopeful answer without putting his hopes too high.</p><p>He took a deep breath in response.</p><p>"I... I guess that's as good of an answer as I can get." Issei replied.</p><p>"So, do you feel like you can come down for Dinner?" Ai inquired.</p><p>Signing a bit, Issei shook his head.</p><p>"No, I... I don't feel like I can do it, and I don't feel like telling Hideki or our parents yet. Promise to keep this a secret until I feel ready to tell them?" He begged.</p><p>"Of course. Also, since you recently started going through puberty, I'll just tell them you're feeling a little moody right now." Ai promised, thinking of his cover story.</p><p>Issei raised an eye at that.</p><p>"It doesn't happen for everyone, but that is an actual symptom of puberty for either gender. Just trust me on it." She replied, holding her hands up.</p><p>He stared at her for a minute before shrugging his arms.</p><p>"OK then, I'll go bring your food up and tell them your cover story now." Ai stated.</p><p>As she went downstairs, Issei fell on his back and stared at the ceiling as he sighed.</p><p>While he felt better? Ai's words didn't restore his smile.</p><hr/><p>On the night before the day where everything would change, Shuri Himejima was seen walking out of Vali's house with Akeno, with both of their faces covered in a few ash marks on their cheeks from the cleaning they had finished.</p><p>At least... that's what Shuri had told Akeno it was, since Cleria's story made her pretty certain that it was something else.</p><p>"Mama, are we finally done?" Akeno asked, wiping some of it off.</p><p>"With the work we finished today, we are indeed done. Now all mama has to do is keep an eye out for someone who wants to buy this-" Shuri answered, taking out her phone as she officially labeled the house for sale on the market.</p><p>Right as she said that, her cellphone began to ring, seeing it was a number tied to the website she posted the house on.</p><p>"Hold that thought for a moment." She requested.</p><p>She then answered the call, all while Akeno watched.</p><p>"Hello?" Shuri answered.</p><p>"Hi there, I'd like to call about the house that's for sale at..." A male voice answered.</p><p>Shuri nodded at that.</p><p>"So, would you like to schedule an open house, or-" Shuri inquired.</p><p>"Oh no, me and my family just transferred from England, so I'd just like to know if you're willing to negotiate about the price and if it's good for a family of three. One of said three being a child in their pre-teen years." The man answered.</p><p>"I might be willing to lower the price a little if you need me to, and the last people who lived here had a single daughter around that age, so this house should be a perfect fit for you." Shuri replied.</p><p>They continued talking for a bit, leaving Akeno to watch in confusion, having no idea how what her mom was doing worked.</p><p>"Alright, then it's a deal. When can I expect you to move in?" Shuri asked.</p><p>"Tomorrow actually. My family's been renting a room in a nearby inn, and I saw this result pop up just a moment ago, noticing it was close to where we're staying." The man answered.</p><p>"Alright then, and welcome to our neighborhood in advance." Shuri smiled.</p><p>She closed her phone as the call ended, with Akeno tilting her head slightly.</p><p>"Mama, what were you saying?" She asked.</p><p>"I was just talking with someone who wants to buy the house, and just officially bought it, so we're going to have three new neighbors by tomorrow." Shuri answered.</p><p>"Three? Does that mean it's a family with a kid?" Akeno asked, suddenly excited.</p><p>"There's a kid alright." Shuri confirmed, smiling.</p><p>The two of them laughed as they walked back home.</p><hr/><p>Painful.</p><p>That was what everyone who had been watching Issei for the last few days was thinking about the way he had suddenly started acting.</p><p>Everyone would find out the truth today, though it wouldn't be for a while.</p><p>"Something is clearly off, don't you think?" Matsuda inquired.</p><p>The camera soon zoomed towards the classroom of the Elementary School he attended, where it was currently the lunch period.</p><p>Four of the students were currently eating together, which were all bento boxes. Said four were none other than Matsuda, Motohama, Katase, and Murayama, who he and Vali had befriended during their time at Summer Camp.</p><p>"He definitely seems to be lacking that spark he usually has, that much I can agree on." Motohama answered.</p><p>"Normally, Mury and I would ask Vali about this, but we haven't been able to talk to her as much since she moved up to Middle School." Katase replied.</p><p>Murayama sighed after hearing that.</p><p>"Why did she have to be a year older than us and leave this mess in our hands?" She questioned, having no idea how much worse the situation really was.</p><p>As they were talking, a female student ended up walking behind them.</p><p>"Ooh, what's this I see? Did you somehow manage to get these two to have a perverted conversation with you?" She asked.</p><p>Katase and Murayama blushed at those words, while Matsuda and Motohama both glared at the voice's owner.</p><p>It was a girl with brunette hair that was slightly messy and tied into a pair of braided twin tails that framed the side of her face, and hazel eyes that required the aid of glasses with a pink frame for her to see.</p><p>"Step off Kiryuu!" Matsuda shouted.</p><p>"Ooh, did I strike a nerve there? Then I must be right." Kiryuu teased, her right hand covering the small smile her mouth was making.</p><p>"Shut up! This is a serious topic we're discussing, so don't treat it like a joke unless you actually like insulting people behind their backs!" Motohama angrily shouted.</p><p>Kiryuu's smile faded after hearing that.</p><p>"Alright, alright. I'll stop." She promised.</p><p>Everyone let out a sigh of relief, with Kiryuu pulling a chair over as she invaded the conversation.</p><p>"So, what's up?" Kiryuu asked.</p><p>"Issei." Everyone answered.</p><p>"Ah, now I see why Motohama yelled at me like that." She realized, just as aware of how differently he had been acting.</p><p>The quartet nodded their heads.</p><p>"By any chance, have you noticed anything that might explain how he's acting?" Motohama asked, crossing his fingers.</p><p>"You're asking me? I only know about him through all of you, so only his lack of a smile in the last few days has been noteworthy to me, and that's not exactly something I can claim is a red flag specific to him." Kiryuu said with a shrug.</p><p>That caused them to sigh, feeling like they had gone back to Square One.</p><p>"Oh, here's an idea! Did any of you consider asking Issei himself?" Kiryuu suggested, looking at all of them with half-lidded eyes.</p><p>The sound of a pin dropping could be heard as their eyes went wide, causing Kiryuu to nod her head as their reactions said it all.</p><p>"Knew it." She replied.</p><p>"Yeah, I guess we focused too much on trying to get answers without bothering him, but..." Matsuda realized, chuckling in embarrassment.</p><p>"I guess it never occurred to us that we could just ask." Katase admitted.</p><p>"Although, it's probably best that we don't all ask him together, so we need to decide who should be the one to do so." Murayama suggested.</p><p>"Thank you for offering then." Katase smiled, patting her back.</p><p>Murayama's widened as she realized how she walked into that.</p><p>"Oh, alright. I'll be the one that talks to him..." She sighed, giving in without a fight.</p><p>Kiryuu turned her head and gave a silent snicker while no one could see her face.</p><p>"If you're wondering where Issei is right now? I recall seeing him going outside to each Lunch, so finding him shouldn't be too hard." She mentioned.</p><p>Murayama sighed in response.</p><p>"Alright, then let's all hope this goes well." She said.</p><p>"Wait, did you just say <em>we</em>?" Katase questioned.</p><p>"Besides giving me moral support, actually seeing his answer would probably make him feel better after he tells me, don't you think?" Murayama replied.</p><p>Katase and the others, except for Kiryuu who just shrugged again, took a moment to think about that.</p><p>"Good point." Matsuda agreed.</p><p>All of them stood up, taking their lunches with them as they headed to where Issei was having his own.</p><hr/><p>The sound of a moving truck coming to a stop was heard as it drove near what used to be Vali's house.</p><p>Once it was parked, the sight of three people could be seen, revealing themselves to be the family of the man who bought it from Shuri the night before. The parents then began helping the workers take all of the boxes out of the truck.</p><p>"Wow, so this is really our new home?" Their child asked.</p><p>Said child was revealed to be a 11-year old girl with light brown with an orange tint she had tied into a pair of long twin tails by a pair of blue scrunches, which contrasted beautifully with her violet eyes.</p><p>While not as gifted as Vali's, she too had quite the figure for her age, something that was made clear by how she kept bouncing on her feet.</p><p>"Irina, think you can stop bouncing over our new home long enough to help us get everything to set up and decorate it?" Her father jokingly asked, lifting up a box and walking towards the door.</p><p>Her father was shown to be a young man who she got her eyes and hair color from, and had a similar radiance.</p><p>"Dear, I thought she was supposed to be starting her first day of class?" His wife asked, speaking in a joking/teasing tone.</p><p>Said wife had long black hair (which was untied and flowing freely across her back) and green eyes, with an appearance that was an exact replica of her daughter's, showing who Irina got her good looks from.</p><p>Hearing that made Irina's eyes widen as she looked at her parents with a big smile on her face.</p><p>"I can start today? Really!?" Irina asked.</p><p>"You can, though I'm pretty sure that this is when the lunch period is happening, so I'd just grab a quick snack." Her mother answered.</p><p>As she said this, Irina's father reaches into his pocket and handed his daughter her school registration papers.</p><p>"Just make sure you give this to them at the front desk, since I've already taken care of everything, and I'm sure that things should be similar enough to your old school." Her father stated.</p><p>"Alright then, I'll see both of you after school." Irina stated.</p><p>Without a second to waste? Irina ran towards her new school at top speed, ready to start her first day as a student in Japan.</p><hr/><p>Issei sat by himself as he ate his lunch on a ledge outside, his face barely any different since his last talk with Ai.</p><p>People who weren't familiar with him didn't think much of it beyond how he wasn't smiling, but those who were saw how it lacked its usual luster that had Vali always been comparing to the sun.</p><p>"Hey there, Issei."</p><p>Looking up for a moment, he turned around to see Murayama standing next to him.</p><p>"Oh, hey there Murayama..." He replied, almost sounding emotionless.</p><p>"I was wondering if you and I could eat lunch together." She offered, lifting her bento box.</p><p>Issei didn't respond at first. This made the others, who were watching nearby from behind a large tree, feel a little nervous.</p><p>"Will the fire ignite, or extinguish before it even starts-" Kiryuu wondered aloud.</p><p>Katase slapped her hand over Kiryuu's mouth before giving her a silent shushing motion. The perverted girl nodded her head before Katase pulled it off.</p><p>"Sure, go ahead." He allowed, thinking she already knew the truth.</p><p>Murayama let out a sigh of relief and sat by him, with the others doing the same as she re-opened her bento box.</p><p>'Glad that worked.' She thought.</p><p>'Guess she must be here to try talking about how sudden it was for Vali to just say goodbye to her and Katase.' He thought.</p><p>After all, while he may have been Vali's best friend? She and Katase were also important friends of hers for whenever she needed to do something with other girls, like how he hung out with Motohama and Matsuda whenever he needed to do something with other guys.</p><p>There's no way she didn't tell them, at least... that's what Issei had been thinking since they said their own goodbyes.</p><p>"Any reason you wanted to eat with me?" Issei inquired, glancing at her.</p><p>"I just wanted to talk, that's all. Although, what I'd like to talk with you about is... well, you might not want to, but-" Murayama replied.</p><p>"Murayama?" Issei said, a confused look on his face.</p><p>"Ever since last week, you haven't been yourself! What happened to make you act this way!?" She begged, grabbing Issei's shoulders.</p><p>The others all face palmed from a distance, since the way she asked him may have just cost them answers, while Kiryuu struggled not to laugh at how blunt she had been. However, the moment he heard those words?</p><p>Issei's face widened as he dropped his chopsticks, which is when Kiryuu's laughter died.</p><p>"Uh, guys? Is it just me, or does Issei look... surprised at that question?" She mentioned.</p><p>Katase and the guys looked closer, seeing his reaction.</p><p>"Yeah, but that doesn't make any sense. Shouldn't he be panicking or scared?" Matsuda remarked.</p><p>"I agree, there's no way he should be surprised." Motohama nodded.</p><p>However, that's when his glasses slid down a bit to show his eyes widening as a certain though came into his head.</p><p>"That is... unless-" He realized.</p><p>However, he didn't have time to finish speaking, as that was when Issei chose to answer Murayama's question.</p><p>"You mean... she didn't tell you, or Katase?" He asked, staring in disbelief.</p><p>Murayama looked confused, as did Katase, who felt a lump in her throat. Motohama felt sweat drip down his face as he realized how close his guess would be to reality.</p><p>The question now is what did Issei believe the girls should already know?</p><p>"Know what? Issei, what are you trying to say?" Murayama asked with a fearful tone.</p><p>At that moment, Issei lowered his head...</p><p>*"DRIP!"*</p><p>Right as Murayama saw tears fall onto the ground, causing her to notice Issei was crying before he lifted his head up.</p><p>Despite how reluctant he was to tell Ai about what happened? Murayama was one of Vali's friends, so she deserved to know, regardless of why she didn't tell her.</p><p>"By any chance is Katase nearby? I... don't want to have to say this more than once if I can." He said, feeling his voice crack.</p><p>Murayama slowly turned her head, looking at the others.</p><p>"Come on out." She sighed.</p><p>Issei soon saw Katase walk out, with Matsuda, Motohama, and Kiryuu all following her.</p><p>"The idea was... if you talked, we might be able to help comfort you better with a larger presence of friends." Murayama explained.</p><p>"Oh, so I'm finally considered one of your friends?" Kiryuu smirked.</p><p>"Don't push it." Katase replied.</p><p>She shrugged with a big smile.</p><p>"Alright then, h-here's the big news, so... be ready to..." Issei began.</p><p>Right at that moment, he began crying loud enough that everyone heard it and looked their way.</p><p>"Emotional cry! Not a we hurt him cry!" Murayama announced, waving her hands.</p><p>"She... she's gone..." Issei cried, putting his hands over his eyes.</p><p>This made his friends look at him in confusion.</p><p>"Look here." He sniffles, reaching under his shirt collar for a certain something underneath it.</p><p>The sight of his necklace came into view, causing all of them, sans Kiryuu, to feel their eyes widen as they recognized one of the necklaces they helped give Issei the idea to make.</p><p>"Wait, if you're wearing that before Christmas, and saying that she's gone, then..." Katase realized.</p><p>"I am... Vali and her family moved out of Kuoh Town last week!" He confirmed, which caused him to break down in tears again.</p><p>Katase just stared as her bento box fell out of her hands, right as Kiryuu's eyes widened.</p><p>"Oh, my god... you were the mystery screamer from last week!" She realized.</p><p>Motohama lightly slapped the back of his hand on her shoulder, making her clear her throat.</p><p>"She moved away... and didn't tell us!" Murayama screamed, putting her hands on her head.</p><p>Issei sniffled and hiccupped a little.</p><p>"I thought she told you like all of me, but... she did seem like she was in a hurry. Maybe she only found out right before she told me, and I was the only one she could give a proper goodbye." He mentioned.</p><p>Hearing that, she and Katase nodded their heads.</p><p>"Yeah, that makes sense." Katase agreed.</p><p>"Still wish I had gotten to say goodbye, though no wonder you've lost your usual-" Murayama added.</p><p>"No sun comparisons right now, please..." Issei begged, wiping his tears with his arm.</p><p>Matsuda sat to the left of him.</p><p>"Sorry we didn't talk to you sooner, if would have probably helped if we had." He apologized, putting an arm over Issei's shoulder.</p><p>"Yeah, especially since I'm predicting a certain reaction to happen in 3... 2... 1..." Motohama agreed, looking towards the kendo duo.</p><p>The two hugged each other as Vali's absence from Kuoh Town finally hit them.</p><p>"Wow, that was impressive." Kiryuu praises, mildly impressed.</p><p>"Huh, never thought I'd hear the day you gave me a compliment." Motohama remarked.</p><p>After a bit, Issei felt himself use up all of his tears.</p><p>"Think you'll be alright?" He asked.</p><p>"No idea. My sister said that there's always a chance I'll see her again, but... there's no way to be sure of that." Issei replied.</p><p>He soon got up, taking his bento box with him.</p><p>"I need to be alone..." He stated.</p><p>Matsuda, Motohama, and Kiryuu all saw him walk off and then looked at each other as the kendo duo kept crying in the background.</p><p>"Will he be OK? This sounds really bed." Matsuda asked.</p><p>"My mom is a therapist, and I'm fairly sure that this is a coping mechanism to deal with the loss. He's not going to feel better until something fills in the void of Vali leaving." Kiryuu replied.</p><p>The boys' eyes widened.</p><p>"Exactly, that's a big void to fill. The only other option is the long way of... waiting until the pain goes away." She continued.</p><p>She and Motohama sat down with Matsuda, letting out a sigh.</p><hr/><p>At the school's main office, a staff member gave a big, yet silent yawn... right as Irina opened the door and ran inside.</p><p>The staff member jumped up as any drowsiness they had disappeared, right as they saw Irina's panting form.</p><p>"Wow, never seen such a healthy-looking student be so late for class. You have a late note from the health police? Maybe the non-sickness society?" They joked in cynical tone.</p><p>Hearing that, Irina let out a laugh. That made the staff member stare at them with a weirded-out expression.</p><p>"Good joke there! But no, I'm a new student. My family and I just arrived at the house we bought. Just because it's late, doesn't meant I'm gonna skip my first day here." Irina clarified.</p><p>The staff keeper's eyes widened before they took a deep breath.</p><p>"Oh, my god... <em>that</em> kind of student has finally became a living nightmare." They whispered under their breath.</p><p>Irina tilted her head as they took her paper, reading it over as they pressed a button.</p><p>"Hey, we got that new student who signed up a few days ago. Mind getting someone here who can lead them to her teacher's room? Preferably now?" They asked.</p><p>As they said this, they saw the girl praying as she held her cross in her hands.</p><p>"Dear lord, please make my first day of school be a great one." Irina prayed.</p><p>"He hasn't given me a better job..." They muttered.</p><p>Irina turned as she heard that, forcing them to give a big grin so she wouldn't suspect anything.</p><hr/><p>The lunch period soon came to an end. However, the one difference in the classroom was everyone now knew the reason behind why Issei was acting like he was.</p><p>As their teacher walked into the room, she cleared her throat.</p><p>"Everyone, before we resume class? I have some surprising and exciting news to share, which is..." She greeted.</p><p>She hit her desk to mimic a drumroll.</p><p>"We have a new student!" She revealed.</p><p>That caught everyone's attention, with even Issei showing some interest.</p><p>"And here she is!" She continued.</p><p>Motioning to the door, Issei and his classmates all saw Irina walk into view. Once she got to the board, she wrote down her name in both kanji and British English.</p><p>"Hello everyone, my name is Irina Shidou, it's a pleasure!" She greeted with a smile.</p><p>A lot of the boys felt their cheeks go red at that, with Issei simply staring at the English spelling and noticing he could somehow understand it.</p><p>'Weird, how is it that I can read that?' He wondered.</p><p>"So, does anyone have questions for miss Shidou?" Their teacher asked.</p><p>Everyone began to raise their hands.</p><p>"Uh, Miss? I'm from England, so would it be too much trouble for you call me by my first name?" Irina requested.</p><p>Katase lowered her hand, as Irina had just answered her question.</p><p>"Oh! My apologies. I'm not exactly used to it, and might take a while before it sinks in, but I can definitely give it a try." The teacher apologized, rubbing the back of her head.</p><p>"Thank you." Irina smiled.</p><p>She then looked at the class, pointing towards Matsuda.</p><p>"What made you transfer here?" He asked.</p><p>"My dad worked at the Vatican, but offered to work in a less staffed church, so we moved to Japan because that's where he met my mom." She answered.</p><p>Irina then pointed at Murayama.</p><p>"Is your last name English or Japanese?" She asked.</p><p>"My dad took my mom's surname, so it's actually Japanese, but you could mistake it as an English one due to how British English works." Irina answered.</p><p>That left some of the students confused.</p><p>"America drops the U in words that use OU, and replaces the SE of other words with ZE with their form of spelling." She explained.</p><p>Everyone nodded their head in understanding.</p><p>Just as Irina was about to answer another question.</p><p>"That will be all the questions for now. To those who still have any, feel free to ask them after class is finished." The teacher intervened.</p><p>Most of the students groaned in disappointment.</p><p>"Irina, you can have the empty seat next to Issei." She said, pointing to him.</p><p>Irina shifted her focus to locate him, showing some surprise as she saw his face.</p><p>'Hmm?' She blinked.</p><p>Whatever her thoughts were, she quickly pushed them away as she sat herself at the desk next to Issei's, then offered him her hand.</p><p>"Hi!" Irina smiled.</p><p>Issei said nothing and then looked at their teacher, making Irina blink in response.</p><p>She did the same before giving him another glance.</p><hr/><p>Back at the Himejima Shrine, the sight of Shuri could be seen as she looked over a torii gate within the shrine, rather than its entrance.</p><p>"Looks like the gate is functioning like it usually does." She stated.</p><p>As she turned to look over another part of her shrine, the space within the torii gate suddenly glowed, making her eyes widen as she saw someone walk through it without any warning. It didn't take long before whoever was using it walk through, and Shuri's eyes widened as she recognized the Samurai who served Sirzechs.</p><p>He was a man who looked to be in his late twenties that wore a traditional Shisengumi uniform, which consisted of a light blue haori that had sleeves trimmed (with <em>light mountain stripes</em> as its owner called them) and hakama over a kimono, with a white cord called a tasuki crossed over the chest and tied in the back.</p><p>"That appearance, you're..." Shuri stuttered, pointing at him.</p><p>He looked at the Shrine Maiden and gave a slight bow in response.</p><p>"A pleasure to meet you madam. I hope you can disregard my unauthorized visit, but my master asked me to arrive here discreetly for a certain mission." The famed samurai apologized.</p><p>Shuri felt her eyes widen slightly at those words, and right as the Samurai was about to disappear and begin his mission...</p><p>"I think I may know what you're talking about... if you're willing to hear me out." She offered.</p><p>The Samurai turned his head towards her, raising an eye at that.</p><p>"Well, at least I assume that two certain <em>deaths</em> might be <em>related</em> to it." Shuri mentioned.</p><p>Hearing that, the Samurai fully turned around, realizing he found someone who had information and wouldn't lie to him. It was pure luck on his end, but even he knew that Shuri was someone he could trust.</p><p>"Alright, I'm listening." He responded.</p><p>"How about we come inside and talk? It would be rude for me to not offer a guest some tea." Shuri suggested.</p><p>The Samurai nodded his head, catching the double meaning of her words as they went inside for tea and talking.</p><hr/><p>Hours passed until the school day finally ended, with the scene opening to everyone in Issei's class asking Irina the questions their teacher cut off to start her next lesson.</p><p>"Does England really have a bunch of tea?" A male student asked.</p><p>"Somewhat, though everyone liking it is a stereotype." Irina answered.</p><p>"How about the way you speak? Did you practice before moving, or is it because of your heritage?" A female student asked.</p><p>Irina let out an awkward laugh in response.</p><p>"Uh... not sure how to answer that one." She admitted.</p><p>As this continued, Issei just stared at their interactions.</p><p>"Say, where do you live?" The same boy asked.</p><p>"If I remember my new address right, I live at..." Irina answered, revealing the area.</p><p>Her answer caused a few people to show surprise, with Issei feeling his eyes widen.</p><p>"Did she just say..." Matsuda realized.</p><p>"She totally did." Katase confirmed.</p><p>With those words, Issei got out of his seat and silently began walking home, leaving Irina confused.</p><p>"Is he OK?" Irina asked.</p><p>No one tried to answer, though Kiryuu felt an idea hit her and walked up to her.</p><p>"Yeah, he's just a little nervous to hear you're the new neighbor he's been expecting. Maybe you should walk home with him and break the ice?" She suggested.</p><p>Everyone let out silent gasps as Irina nodded her head in understanding.</p><p>"Ah, that makes sense. I'll go do that right now." She decided as she smiled.</p><p>She began running after him, with everyone turning to look at Kiryuu as if she was crazy, though Murayama took it a step further and grabbed her by the shoulders.</p><p>"What were you thinking!?" Murayama questioned.</p><p>"That maybe she might push hard enough that it will bring Issei out of his funk. As much as waiting might help, this could last for so long that it's just as bad to do nothing." Kiryuu answered.</p><p>"And what if this backfires?" Motohama inquired.</p><p>"If that happens, then you can blame me, since I suggested the idea in the first place." She replied.</p><p>Murayama let her go, sitting down as she tried to take a deep breath to calm her nerves.</p><p>This was around the same time that Irina caught up to Issei, seeing him from a distance before she began a sprint and waved towards him.</p><p>"Hey, hey Issei!" Irina shouted.</p><p>Hearing her voice, he turned around to see her, and immediately began running.</p><p>"Wait, I'm almost there!" She called.</p><p>"Leave me alone!" Issei screamed.</p><p>Before anyone knew it, they were playing a town-sized game of chase, with the screams of Issei helping many to realize who last week's mysterious screamer was.</p><p>Though for right now? The sight of this chase was what everyone was focusing on.</p><hr/><p>Meanwhile, in Shuri and Akeno's home, the Samurai was seen sitting at the table with them as Shuri poured him some tea. Once she took her seat to his left, Akeno looked at her mother.</p><p>"Mama, who is this?" Akeno asked, not recognize the famous Samurai.</p><p>"Forgive my rudeness young one. My name is Souji Okita, and I'm what's known as a Samurai." He answered, revealing his identity.</p><p>Akeno didn't know about this legendary man and just tilted her head in response.</p><p>"My apologies. She's still a bit too young to know about that part of Japanese history, so I don't think she'll recognize you." Shuri explained.</p><p>Souji nodded as Akeno just blinked in confusion.</p><p>"So, you claim that you have actual information on what really happened to Masaomi and Cleria?" Souji asked.</p><p>"More than that. I can confirm that Masaomi was indeed killed, but... not by execution. At least, I'm sure that's not what you call it when someone dies to save someone else from an assassin who had already killed their parents." Shuri revealed.</p><p>Hearing that made Souji's eyes widen, shocked at what he heard.</p><p>"As for Cleria... she's still alive right now as far as I'm aware, but she and her peerage had to flee with the daughter Masaomi gave his life to let her rescue. I can't say much more than that because of things Cleria couldn't tell me and what's occurred since they went there. All I know is that there are people who want both the girl she's protecting, and herself, to be completely erased from this world." She continued.</p><p>Hearing all of this, Souji managed to piece some things together... and he didn't like the things he had connected.</p><p>'Now it all makes sense. At least, it will if what she said implies what I think it does.' Souji thought, sighing a little.</p><p>"I hope the information I shared helps you." Shuri stated.</p><p>"Oh, it definitely helped me. In fact, this is something I need to share with my master right now, so I must be returning before I risk any sketchy characters learning of what you told me." He replied, getting back to his feet.</p><p>He gave them a bow.</p><p>"Until we meet again, gatekeeper of Kuoh." He said with gratitude.</p><p>Souji left the house as Akeno looked at him with noticeable confusion.</p><p>"Mama, what was he talking about?" She asked.</p><p>"Something you aren't ready to know about." Shuri answered, looking a little scared.</p><p>Luckily, she managed to hide it from her curious daughter.</p><hr/><p>The chase between Irina and Issei continued on for a while, causing the sky to turn orange as the duo kept running without any signs of getting tired. Both of their families noticed them run by at one point, making both show confusion at the sight.</p><p>At a certain point in the chase, Issei managed to catch his breath and take a break as he managed to find himself in Kuoh's forest area.</p><p>"Finally, there's no way she'll find me in here without getting lost." He thought aloud, knowing she wouldn't be familiar with its layout.</p><p>Feeling the fatigue finally hit him, Issei felt his legs wobble, letting out a tired groan as he used the trees to support himself and walk ahead as a precaution. Due to how tired he was, his body only got as far as finding the spot he and Vali had first met.</p><p>Upon arriving at this area? He only then realized nightfall had arrived, and saw a similar starry sky to the one he and Vali met at... he even saw Venus among the stars.</p><p>"It almost feels like fate is mocking me right now..." Issei sighed as he sat himself down.</p><p>"Ah, there you are!" Irina exclaimed.</p><p>Issei's eyes widened as he saw Irina run towards him, holding his hands out in disbelief as the tired church girl finally stopped before him and caught her breath.</p><p>"Never thought... that I'd meet someone my age in Japan... who could move like you do." She praised between breaths.</p><p>Lowering his head, Issei began to shake as he felt a second emotion join the sadness he had been enduring in the last week.</p><p>"Hmm? Hey, are you OK-" She asked.</p><p>"LEAVE ME ALONE ALREADY!" He screamed.</p><p>Irina nearly fell over from that, surprised by his screams and his face, which he had lifted to show was now full of anger.</p><p>
  <strong>[Sword Art Online: In Your Past]</strong>
</p><p>Anger that froze her in place.</p><p>"Why are you so insistent on following me?! You don't even know me, and yet you just try to waltz right in without any consent from me or probably anyone else! If that wasn't bad enough... you moved into <em>her</em> house, rubbing it in even more as if you want to replace her!" He continued screaming.</p><p>'Her house?' Irina thought.</p><p>At that moment, Irina finally noticed his sun necklace, causing her eyes to widen as she started to understand the meaning of his words.</p><p>"Well, guess what? You can't! In fact, you won't ever replace her no matter what you do! Now, just leave me alone already!" He demanded.</p><p>Irina didn't say anything for about half a minute, and then...</p><p>"My home used to belong to someone who was your best friend, didn't it? I understand how you feel-" She replied.</p><p>"You don't! There's no way you could understand how it feels to see your best friend go away! Never!" He shouted.</p><p>He began to breath heavily as tears flowed from his eyes.</p><p>"Actually, I do understand how it feels, because... I had to leave <em>my</em> best friend too." Irina admitted, tears starting to form in her eyes.</p><p>Those words caused Issei's anger to fade, making her stare at Irina in surprise.</p><p>"My father chose to relocate us, despite his job didn't require him to... and yet, he still did. I was really upset to hear that I'd be leaving my best friend behind. It hurt really bad since we had always lived in England, and I had no say or influence in stopping it." She continued.</p><p>Hearing this, Issei slumped on his stump.</p><p>"I'm a real jerk, aren't I..." He realized.</p><p>Irina walked up to him, sitting on the stump besides him as she pet his head.</p><p>"Hey, it's alright. I didn't even know any of that. Although, maybe that girl with the glasses must have saw this coming when she told me to follow you." Irina reassured him.</p><p>Hearing that made Issei lift his head up, feeling a flat expression form on his face.</p><p>"Damn it, Kiryuu!" He loudly groaned.</p><p>After saying that, he began to sniffle as the dam of his emotions broke once more, and he felt himself unable to hold back the words.</p><p>"We... we first met in this spot six years ago, both of us could even see Venus in the sky like right now." He revealed, pointing to the orange dot.</p><p>Irina looked, but decided not to say she couldn't find it.</p><p>However, she did recognize the symbol on his necklace.</p><p>"That explains the astrological sun symbol charm you have. Does she have her own?" Irina asked.</p><p>Issei sniffled before nodding his head.</p><p>"She has an astrological moon symbol... I made both as her Christmas present, but gave it to her early when she moved away last week. Now, I feel like it's an impossible dream to see her again." he answered.</p><p>Once she heard that, Irina tapped Issei's shoulder to get his attention. He turned to look at her...</p><p>
  <strong>[Insert Song End]</strong>
</p><p>Then screamed as she gave his forehead a strong flick, making him hold the sore spot on his noggin.</p><p>"Ow! Why did you-" He questioned.</p><p>"It will be if you keep thinking like that!" Irina shouted, suddenly making a stern face as she <em>frowned</em> at him.</p><p>Seeing her frown was such a surprise? Issei couldn't say a word.</p><p>"When I had to say goodbye to Xenovia, the one thing we promised each other before I left was no matter what it took? We would definitely meet each other again. It doesn't matter how impossible it seems to us that we may never meet again, because to me? The moment we give up is the moment that becomes a reality. No, it's thinking exactly that way that will keep us from reuniting!" Irina shouted with strong passion.</p><p>The moment he heard those words, Issei felt his eyes widen as he briefly saw a young Vali through her, reminding him of a time she (and rightfully so) had scolded him over sliding down a hill using a metal tray.</p><p>
  <strong>[Fairy Tail: Seigi no Chikara]</strong>
</p><p>Without him even realizing it, the cold feeling that had been forming around his heart began to shake as if it were starting to crack. He then continued listening to Irina, almost as if something was subconsciously making him listen to her words.</p><p>"Both of you were separated from one another, and yes, that hurts more than anything. However, that <em>doesn't</em> mean you can't do anything! If you truly fight for it, and try to find a way to reconnect even when your worlds apart from one another, then one day? The two of you will see each other again, because you never gave up on trying to find each other." She continued, smiling as a tear left her eye.</p><p>
  <em>"Promise me that, one day, we'll see each other again?" Issei's voice echoed.</em>
</p><p>Issei gasped as he remembered what he said last week, and then...</p><p>
  <em>"No matter how far apart we are or where we end up? The two of us will always be friends, because we share the same sky." Issei's voice echoed.</em>
</p><p>He then held up his sun charm with his right hand, which then gleamed as if to answer him.</p><p>"All this time I've just been standing here and doing nothing except cry, just accepting what happened as if it was an absolute result." He realized.</p><p>Issei wiped his eyes and showed a determined look.</p><p>"No more, it's time that I stop crying!" Issei exclaimed, standing on his feet.</p><p>Looking at his expression, Irina showed some surprise before smiling at him.</p><p>"There you go." She smiled.</p><p>
  <strong>[Insert Song End]</strong>
</p><p>"Thank for it." He replied.</p><p>Out of nowhere, he gave her a hug, surprising Irina before she smiled and returned it.</p><hr/><p>It didn't take long for Issei to lead Irina home, as she <em>did</em> end up getting lost after finding him.</p><p>"Thanks for helping me find my way back." She smiled.</p><p>"After what you did for me, it was the least that I could do, but before I head home myself..." He replied.</p><p>He held out his hand towards Irina as a fist.</p><p>"To make sure I never lose myself again? I think someone like you needs to keep reminding me to never stop shining like the sun, so... will you be my friend?" Issei asked.</p><p>Hearing that, Irina's eyes widened as she heard that.</p><p>"Yeah, I'd love to!" Irina answered, crying happy tears.</p><p>"Thank you." Issei replied.</p><p>Irina held out her own hand as a fist and bumped it against his, then went inside her house... where a big lecture awaited her. One that Issei knew he'd be getting as well.</p><p>'Still, now I feel confident about the future, and...' He thought.</p><p>Feeling the wind blow his hair a bit, he looked towards the sky as he finally felt something return to his face.</p><p>"That you and I will see each other again like we promised, so wait for me, Vali." Issei said with a big smile.</p><p>He soon ran back home.</p><p>'Because I'm never giving up!' He thought, lifted his necklace towards the sky.</p><p>At he held his necklace up, Vali did the same.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong> <em>~ December 25th, 2017: Unknown Location</em> </strong>
</p><p>Back in the office area of Sirzechs, he was seen yawning over the apparently slow day, just barely managing to notice Grayfia walking in with some tea.</p><p>"Here, this should help wake you up a little." Grayfia stated.</p><p>"I don't think we've had a workday this quite since the Season 4 finale of Serafall's show grabbed everyone's attention." Sirzechs replied before sipping it.</p><p>As he did, a magic circle appeared, dropping Rias' letter in front of them.</p><p>"What the?" He noticed.</p><p>Seeing their daughter had addressed it to them, Sirzechs teared it open and they began to read it.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>Hmm... I wonder what Rias put in that letter? Guess we'll have to wait and see.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Anyways, looks like Irina's moved to Kuoh Town and helped Issei out of his funk, though he has no idea where his path to reunite with her is going to lead him since he's still out of the loop for now and the next few years. For now at least? He's got his other friends, and a new friend in Irina to keep him steady.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Now, for a small story on Hideki and Ai?</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>They were actually added in to honor a new relative in my family who had been born a week before this story. It honestly scared me to know they would be born during the Covid-19 pandemic, but everything turned out fine and they're living at home as healthy as they could be, to my great relief. After it was all over and realized how I felt would be similar to some plans I had for our main duo, I decided that I'd make characters out of Issei's unborn siblings, since I felt like he and Vali should have role models for their non-supernatural lives.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Finally, we have the big surprise that the Rias of this story isn't the younger sister of Sirzechs, but his <em>daughter</em>! I hadn't been able to find any fanfics using this idea and wanted to try it. Plus, besides how she's already like Millicas' big sister in canon? I feel this helps explain how she gets more involved.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The announcement below was meant for the equivalent to this on FFN, so this chapter will not be deleted until the finished version is posted.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Hey there everyone. Tohka here with something important I need to share, and before anyone assumes this based on previous instances where I make a chapter like this? This story is NOT getting canned or undergoing a reboot.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>This notice will last until tomorrow on Oct 30, after which it will be deleted.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>As you might have noticed, this isn't really a new chapter as much as an alert on what's going on with me since my last overall update after my birthday.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Mostly to let you all know that I'm still alive, and my lack of them is for a different reason.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>To explain what's going on? Not long after said update... both of my parents contracted COVID, and they were incredibly close to dying from it. It left me more than just emotionally and mentally a wreck, as I was forced to take care of all my siblings and make sure we didn't get it (we didn't luckily), keep their spirits up, and then once our parents got home? Help them recover until they were healthy and fully themselves again.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>What made it worse was no one else in my family could help because most lived too far away, and those who could either had a job putting them too close to virus or were in the age range with the most risk. I had to do this alone, and by the time it was over...</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Like I said above, this mentally and emotionally struck me hard. When I tried to get back to writing, I just couldn't do it. Despite I had the ideas and knew what I wanted to type? My fingers wouldn't listen to me. It got to a point that I've been talking with a therapist to help feel better and regain my groove. It's been working, so I took this chance to give you all an update about when I'll be back in the swig.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>The answer is that I don't know, so until further notice? All my stories will be on hiatus, though at the same time, one conversation with my therapist had them tell me I sound like I update more easily when I do a story based on my focus at the time. Right now, it's for My Hero Academia, which I have a story idea for.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>So, if you think that I should try making a chapter or two to help me escape my funk? I'll try, but I still can't guarantee anything.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Last thing before I end this update notice is that over these last few months? I've officially decided to start cross-posting my stories here on AO3, rather than only having my unfinished and more mature works over there. Likewise, I've chosen to share a scene that may be in the next chapter so you have a partial update of sorts.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>What I've written isn't fully finished, and may not be in the finished chapter, but I hope what you see will be worth the wait for when the finished chapter comes out.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Good luck everyone, and stay healthy! ^^</strong>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>[Chapter 4 - Fated Eclipse]</strong>
</p><p>The scene opened to Kuoh Town, which had caught up on the technology game like the city its prefecture was named after. It was somewhat bigger, some of the older homes had been torn down or updated into modern equivalents, and much more.</p><p>Currently, the scene opened to Kuoh Academy, the school that Rias began attended a few months after discovering the mystery behind Cleria Belial.</p><p>"Dear Satan, this is torture..."</p><p>Zooming towards the inside of the Old School Building, during the hour before school began for the day, the scene opened to the sight of Rias herself as she sat on her desk. There was a mess of papers scattered everywhere on its surface, with each one focusing on the same topic.</p><p>"Rias!" A masculine voice shouted.</p><p>Looking up for a moment, her eyes met with a handsome young man with short blond hair, and blue eyes with a beauty mark underneath the left. His attire was the Kuoh Academy uniform for boys, consisted of a black blazer with white accents, a white dress shirt with long sleeves and a black ribbon on the collar, matching black pants, and brown dress shoes.</p><p>He was currently holding what looked to be a bundle of six papers.</p><p>"Here's another set of papers that mention Cleria's name in them." He said, holding them out to her.</p><p>"Thanks Kiba." She replied.</p><p>As she took them, a bunch of bats, and ones of the normal kind instead of the breed that her Familiar was, with glowing red eyes flew into the room. Each of them was seen carrying a single piece of paper as they approached.</p><p>"Rias, I found something too! I think this might be the-" A masculine voice exclaimed, coming from the bat in front.</p><p>Said bat then flew too fast to stop, making it head towards the wall on Rias' right... and then slam into it.</p><p>All of the other bats suddenly froze before they fell to the ground alongside it, making the papers fly everywhere as all of the bats immediately disappeared in puffs of smokes. The one bat who slammed into the wall then transformed into a boy that was a year younger than Kiba.</p><p>"Owie..." He mumbled in pain.</p><p>He had an androgynous-looking appearance, with platinum blond hair and pinkish-violet eyes, and pointed ears that showed his supernatural heritage. His hair was styled in short bob cut with several small fringes over his forehead, which is what mainly gave the appearance of a beautiful girl. Unlike Kiba, he was wearing the girls' Kuoh Academy uniform, only with thigh high stockings instead of normal socks like Rias.</p><p>"Gasper, I warned you before about flying in a hurry." Rias sighed, placing a hand on her head before shaking it.</p><p>The dozens of papers fell everywhere, with most of them landing on the couch.</p><p>A few seconds later, the sight of a strange lump on the couch moved, revealing there was a girl who had been sleeping on it.</p><p>"Well, that's one way to wake someone from a nap." She said with an annoyed tone, glaring at everyone.</p><p>Said girl looked to be around Gasper's age despite looking closer to Kiba's, having a voluptuous figure like Rias did, though smaller than the redheaded Devil was since she was a First Year student.</p><p>Her eyes were a hazel color and had a cat-like look to them, which contrasted greatly with her white hair that reached to her mid back, and had a pair of small twin tails that were positioned and styled in a way that made them resemble droopy cat ears.</p><p>"Sorry Koneko..." Gasper apologized.</p><p>Rias put put her hand on her head again, letting out an exhausted groan in response.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The announcement below was meant for the equivalent to this on FFN, so this chapter will not be deleted until the finished version is posted.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Hey everyone, Tohka here with an update!</strong>
</p><p>
  <span class="u"> <strong>Notice: This update will be deleted on 5/5</strong> </span>
</p><p>
  <strong>Following the major news bomb that I shared through my stories on October last year? I figured that, due to a combination of trying to get all my stories back to active updating status and how long it's been since then, that you might want an update on both said stories and how I've been doing.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>So, to start with myself?</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>I'm doing alright now. Still not firing on all cylinders for the same reason most of us are, though I'm much closer to 100% compared to last year, now that me and my parents have been vaccinated as of last month. No repeat scares or anything close to them have happened either, and my sessions with my therapist have helped me out greatly.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Now, for my stories, I am slowly making progress on getting back on to speed with them? I've had some time to think about a few things. Each story has a few shared reasons while there are also going to be reasons specific to each story that I'll share below.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>For now, the most I can give you is that I've written a little since then. Like the prior update chapters, you'll get a sneak peek over a scene that may or may not show up in the final chapter.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Also, since only "Daydreamer Dragon" and "We Say Run" have chapter totals in the double digits, I'll be using a small case of OCD I've had since some point in 2019 to go back and update a few stray mistakes and make adjustment to any possible changes that have come to my mind since then. If the latter thing happens? I'll make sure to bring it up here, and list them on the AO3 chapters.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Most of all, I'll be giving all my stories a <em>Triple</em> Chapter Update (sans "We Say Run") once they resume as a reward for enduring such a long wait!</strong>
</p><p>
  <span class="u"> <strong>Story Specific Details - Legend of the Heavenly Dragon</strong> </span>
</p><p>
  <strong>Starting things off? Both this story and DALAT are mostly outlined, but me and King are still finishing things a few things up, so it'll be a while before updates start to get more common, to the point they are currently sharing 4th/5th place on my update priority list.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>The bright side is that they're going to get an update soon because the new few chapters of each are going to show the set up for things that will have an impact on a majority of their stories. Not only that, but they benefited the most from my inability to update them for a while, as I've managed to think of some new, great ideas I might have never had if they had updated at any point in the last year. (I am genuinely not kidding when I say this.) So, I guess there was a hidden blessing there.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>One thing I should mention is that this story may or may not be bumped up to an M-Rating, depending on if I think it'll help it like with Daydreamer Dragon.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>I have nothing else to say, so here's the sneak peek scene.</strong>
</p><hr/><p>Heavy panting could be heard the sight of Cleria, Vali, and the former's sole Pawn raced through a part of the USA that was currently unidentifiable as a result of the lightless night that surrounded them.</p><p>Cleria tightly held onto Vali's hand as they ran, barely managing to keep calm and focused as the sound of shredding from a large, approaching figure came closer to them.</p><p>"There's no way we can outrun that bastard!" Cleria's Pawn warned.</p><p>"What are we supposed to do then?" Vali questioned, looking worried.</p><p>Looking towards the approaching assassin that had only a few seconds left before they reached them, and she closed her eyes before knowing there was only one option left for them to take.</p><p>"It's time... Returner." She stated, whispering it only loudly enough for Vali and her Pawn to hear her.</p><p>Said Pawn's eyes widened before stopping and turning around.</p><p>"Hey, what are you doing!?" Vali questioned, her eyes widening.</p><p>"Thank for everything. It has been an honor to fight by your side." The Pawn replied, shedding a tear as they held their arms as the assassin neared them.</p><p>He let out a powerful roar from his throat.</p><p>Vali felt tears leave her eyes as the assassin struck the Pawn, whose arms were glowing as they used magic to hold back their spinning form, despite it caused their arms to bleed from the impact of the sharp wind they were emitting. He closed their eyes as the assassin slowly made his arms bend from their attack overpowering his defense.</p><p>"No..." She quietly said.</p><p>"Vali, listen to me." Cleria suddenly said, barely holding back her own tears.</p><p>Vali turned her head as Cleria looked at her.</p><p>"Run... run forward as fast as your legs can carry you, and keep going!" She stated.</p><p>Before Vali could answer, she tapped the moon charm of her necklace, and it glowed.</p><p>"Huh?" Vali blinked.</p><p>"I knew this day might come, so I applied a one-time use teleportation spell into your moon charm, which will send you straight back to Japan." Cleria explained.</p><p>Hearing that made Vali's eyes widen.</p><p>"You aren't going to end up directly in Kuoh because of the risks, but someone took over my old position and will come to help. I promise! It may take a while because they'll need to find Issei before they can help you, but help <em>will</em> come!" She smiled.</p><p>With a mighty swing, Cleria threw Vali into the air, right as she heard the slice that marked her Pawn's demise. Turning around, she saw the assassin approach them.</p><p>"Now go! Back to the land of the rising sun!" Cleria screamed, readying a magic circle.</p><p>Tears flooded from her eyes as Vali landed, and began running as a magic circle appeared underneath her legs, and she disappeared.</p><p>Cleria then rushed forward as she activated her spell.</p>
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